


The Prince's Choice

by FrostedGemstones22



Series: A Delicate Subterfuge [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Selection Series - Kiera Cass
Genre: Competition, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Katara is a warrior, Kya lives, Lu Ten lives, Political Subplots, Selection!AU, Slow Burn, Zuko found Aang, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, avatar in hiding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-03-10 11:43:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 206,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13501054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrostedGemstones22/pseuds/FrostedGemstones22
Summary: Katara is 18 and the Southern Water Tribe has held an uneasy allegiance with the Fire Nation for the last 100 or so years. When Katara's tribe goes through a food shortage, Katara takes it upon herself to make sure they survive. She agrees to enter a competition where the young Prince Zuko will choose a wife out of 35 women. Katara promises herself she only has to last a day until a truce she can't ignore is offered, and now Katara is in it for the long haul. A Zutara! Selection AU. More couple tags to be added as they appear.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I promised myself I would wait to post this new story until I finished with my old ones, but I'm an impatient SOB. And, I got on a writing kick (woo-hoo) and wrote the first 100 pages of this story and outlined the next 50 or so, so I have some cushion here!
> 
> This story is a Zutara story that is based on The Selection series by Kiera Cass. If you're not sure what that is, it's basically The Bachelor but with more dystopian vibes to it. I basically just realized this is more like The Bachelor because this story isn't really dystopian but ah, oh well.
> 
> SOME INFO BEFORE READING TO MAKE THINGS MAKE SENSE:
> 
> It's set in a world that is slightly different from the Avatar world that we meet in the first season. Airbenders (and, as people think, the Avatar) is still gone, but no one's sure it was the Fire Nation, though people are suspicious. The Fire Nation is playing more of a mind game sort of role instead of a direct military one. They control all of the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom, and the Northern Water Tribe and have an agreement with the South. Basically, they decided it wasn't worth fighting them all the time since no one really wants to go to the south anyway.
> 
> Kya never died. Katara has grown up in her family as a daughter of the chief and is given a large role in the politics of her family. She's 4 years older than at the start of the series, so 18 (Everyone is aged up 4 years).
> 
> Zuko is in line for the throne. Lu Ten is alive too, but more on that later. He was burned by his father as punishment but never banished. He's more like season 3 Zuko, aka not an asshole as much because his Uncle has been a huge influence in his life, plus others. His mother never had to leave, so she's always been there for him too. There's still tension in the family, though, don't you worry about that.
> 
> Aang is alive, but he'll come up later. Katara wasn't the one who found him, though.
> 
> Anything else will be revealed within the story!
> 
> I hope you enjoy :)

The sea was just as a much a being as any other creature on this planet, often said Katara. It was always moving, always using and taking energy. Sometimes, the sea was angry and rough. Other times, it was gentle and forgiving. The sea could heal people, something none of the other elements could do. Yet, to those that were callous of its powers, it could be deadly. The sea was tied to the moon which gave hunters pale light to find penguin-seals and bathed their camp in its silver shine. The moon was soft, unlike the harsh light of the sun that had the ability to melt away their home, if it so wanted to.

Indeed, there were many reasons for Katara to love the moon and the sea, the endless blue expanse in front of her. It spoke in riddles to her, it's hands bringing forth in rhythmic procession animals, plants, and washed up items from far away. She knew that many people saw the sea as something that separated them from the other nations. But this was not true at all, it connected them.

Katara could find course grains all the way from Fire Nation shores, peaty plants from Earth Nation, and floating stones from the destroyed Air Temples. The sea had given her many gifts, and although she did not yet know it, today it would give her another.

It was mid-morning when she was found by her brother, scrambling over the snow-capped hills to find her practicing her waterbending religiously.

"Kat-,"

"Shh." She hushed him, bringing a soft tendril of water up and around him like a sea vine, but fragile. She feared for a second she'd heard his tone, one of disappointment that she was here, doing this when she knew she should be hunting. It was pretty what she was doing, and deadly too if she got it right, but it didn't feed stomachs. And spirits did her tribe need food. It was selfish what she was doing here, one she couldn't ignore, especially not when her brother was such a celebrated hunter. Instead, Sokka just flicked at the water like it was a fly.

"Please, leave me out of your 'magic'," Sokka said, using air quotes. She glared at him hard, tugging the water around his legs and purposely knocking him forward. He wiped snowflakes from his face, looking up.

"What's so important that it can't wait?" She sighed, flicking the water from his soaked clothes, "I was almost done anyway."

"You're needed at the council meeting." Sokka said, scrambling up, eyeing her, "You're not going to do that again, are you?"

"Only if you're annoying again," She teased, pushing his shoulder lightly. He was not half as amused. Usually, he was joking often. But now that she looked at him, she saw a tightened expression on his lips and his tensed jaw. He was locked rigid.

"Katara…" he sighed, shaking his head.

"What's wrong?" She asked, scrutinizing him.

"A boat came today," He said with as much confidence as he could muster, "It's Fire Nation."

Katara stifled a gasp of surprise.

"They have no reason to visit us here," She said, a snarl curing her lips upward, "We reached peace years ago."

"Yeah, well," Sokka crossed his arms and huffed, "Looks like our warranty has just run up." He said.

"Do you know why?" Katara said, calling behind her as she took a strong stride, hurrying backward toward camp.

"No," Sokka said, bounding after her to fall in line, "Just that it's...well, they don't seem totally hostile. It's not an army, just a representative. They're not here to start a fight."

"They better not be," Katara muttered, her hand going instinctively to the water skin she had tied around her waist.

"Really, sis, cool down." He said, jumping in front of her and placing his hands on her shoulders, "We shouldn't be hostile right away."

Katara's mouth opened in protest but Sokka made an irritating noise over her every time she attempted to say her piece.

"Dad wants to hear them out." Sokka let go her shoulders, motioning for her to follow into the council tent. Katara had a few choice words dangling on the tip of her tongue, but instead, she opted for a suppressed sigh. Sokka's eyes only shone with worry. While he wanted to be a warrior, there was little denying that Katara was the one between them that was more prone to throwing punches, if it came to it. She knew he only had the interest of their tribe in mind...whereas Katra found it inappropriate they were even showing up at all, Sokka was trying to avoid another war.

"Fine," Katara conceded, "Let's hope it's nothing bad…" She trailed off, tying off the tarp behind her. She had to assume she was the last to arrive, and she was correct, seeing the table already full when as she shrugged off her outer coat in the heated room.

As Sokka had said, it didn't seem the two Fire Nation representatives were here on war-like business, not wearing armor, and as far as she could tell not a weapon on them. They wore finely woven silk and had parchment in front of them.

"Katara," Her father sighed in relief, "See, she's here." He assured the two men.

"Ah, the Princess." One of them said in agreement, a term that irked Katara to no end. Sure, she was the daughter of the chief, but they didn't have such frivolous titles like their sister tribe did. She was just Katara.

"How old again?" The other asked.

"Why does that matter?" Sokka said suspiciously, sitting next to his father. Sokka's shoulders hunched, as he tried to make himself look more intimidating. THeir tone didn't strike Katra as skeevy, just curious, so she only kept a finger on her water-skin and looked to her father. HIs eyes were focused on them, and Katara trusted her father's judgment. Katara sat next to her mother wordlessly, cataloging these men's every move.

"Just it's hard to tell with Water Tribe women," One said, certainly not helping his cause, though he failed to see how that was offensive, "Wouldn't want to...overassume anything." There was a pause. Her father looked to Katara, inviting her to speak.

"Eighteen," Katara crossed her arms over her chest, "Satisfied?"

The two men looked at each other and nodded.

"Yes, of course, of course." They were mousy, that's the word Katara decided to describe them as. They fidgeted and pulled at their collars, sweat beading upon their brows. For Fire Nation citizens, they didn't seem to be handling the gentle warmth of the tent very well. Then again, they might just be nervous.

They had reason to be. Sitting in front of them was Hakoda, famous war chief. Had it not been for his relentless strategizing and leadership, the Water Tribe here might be under the thumb of the Fire Nation like the Northern Water Tribe. Their defiance caused quite a stir, back when Katara was just a baby, and even now their relation was tenuous. It was more than those yellow-bellied Northerners, though, in Katara's opinion. She was proud of her tribe's autonomy.

"Can we begin?" Bato, the second-in-command to Katara's father asked, "If we get done soon enough, we can still make dinner at a reasonable time."

"Agreed," Sokka said under his breath.

"Yes, we wouldn't want to stay longer than we need to," The scrawnier of the two men said. They hadn't introduced themselves to Katara yet and she wasn't interested in their names. For all she knew, she would never see them again after this. Why take notice of it?

"I shouldn't think much has changed," Hakoda said with a tired tone, "I don't understand why-,"

"Well, we just need to check in, make sure that you're not planning a rebellion." The fatter one said and both men gave little giggles as though the idea were preposterous.

"Why would we do that?" Bato frowned, "When you pretty much leave us the hell alone, just as we want to be? We're not enslaved."

"Just a precaution," The fatter man said, scribbling something with a quill on the parchment, "Are the amounts of our trade still acceptable to you?" He asked.

"We've never been unable to meet the set number," Hakoda's frown deepened, "Why does this require a whole visit? Had we been unhappy with our terms of an agreement, we would have just sent a hawk."

"I admit there is a...another reason for this." The fatter man said, twirling his beard with his finger.

"Oh?" Hakoda leaned forward, staring him down. Katara thought her father looked positively threatening like this, and the Fire Nation man felt this too. He exchanged looks with his partner, a silent war for who was going to share the news they'd brought. Under what circumstances Katara wasn't sure, but finally, it was the thinner that spoke up.

"Well, it's a very special time in the Fire Nation right now, cause for celebration around the land. The Fire Lord's son and successor, Prince Zuko, will be choosing a bride."

"Uh-huh," Katara's mother said suspiciously, narrowing her eyes. There was a tone behind her response, one Katara was suddenly wary of. Katara scooted forward to try to look just as dangerous as her father, instead of away. One of the men blinked at her movement, eyeing her curiously. It wasn't fear, though, unfortunately.

"Are you aware at all how this is done?" The man asked, looking around the table.

"Arranged marriage?" Bato threw out with a shrug.

"Lottery," Sokka threw out.

"Love?" A younger warrior asked wistfully.

"No, no, no." The man looked even more nervous now, something Katara thought impossible, "It's through ah, well, sort of like a lottery," He looked at Sokka, nodding, "Sort of also like an arranged marriage, but also through love."

"You've lost us," Katara said flatly when her tribesmembers shared confused looks. The man seemed surprised Katara had spoken up at all. In fact, she felt as though she'd been unusually quiet. Her father had no qualms with both of his children learning about their tribe's leadership positions and she often was the main voice during meetings.

"Well, we call it the Prince's Choice. It's, erm, a game of sorts. Keeps the plebians happy, you know?" He said, realizing he was once again loosing the 'simple' leader of the Southern Water Tribe, "Every time a prince comes of age, he goes through a process where thirty-five eligible woman is put through a contest of sorts to become the next Fire Lady. It is his choice of these, but he must choose one of the selected. It's broadcasted in a way, so the public feels as though they know their next ruler too."

"Ah," Kya tilted her head, "I vaguely recall hearing of such things...your mother told me about it. Apparently, one of her good friends Hana was chosen to go." She said, looking at her husband. She didn't sound pleased to know about this, but more or less neutral. It was hard to read her mother, Katara decided. Her father's emotions were always open on display, at least, to Katara and Sokka who had grown up reading him. Hakoda seemed still unaware and just gave his wife a hapless look.

"Yes, Hana." The fatter said enthusiastically, "Although, she wasn't particularly a fan favorite and was eliminated easily. I believe she's in the Earth Kingdom right now."

"But that doesn't matter," The skinner said, talking over his comrade, "We are here because there is some...unrest about your allegiance here. Some of the higher-up members in the Fire Nation feel as though you are not giving enough, that you are a problem nation, a slip-up waiting to happen."

"We are giving just enough," Hakoda said in a steely voice.

"Well, so you think," The skinner seemed to have a bout of confidence thrown over him, and pulled out a scroll from his pocket. He wasn't snivvling quite as much as he had been before, "So, the Fire Lord has given you an ultimatum. Either you will triple your shipments,"

"Yeah, right," Bato said darkly from his seat, but Hakoda silenced him with a level glare.

"Or you will provide a contestant to the Selection," The man finished, "And Katara is...preferred, although not required since she is the Princess here."

"Cheif's daughter," Katara cut in sharply, "There's a difference."

"Of course, my apologies." The man said, but it was clear he didn't mean it.

"May we have the room?" Hakoda said, although it was clear from his voice it wasn't a request.

"Yes, yes." The two picked up their scrolls, "We expect an answer by sundown. We'll be taking back with us whichever you decide." They purposely left a scroll out, one that was undoubtedly the conditions of the selection. Katara reached for it.

They made their exit speedy and when they were out of earshot, Sokka's anxiety seemed to spill out all over the place.

"We can't sustain three times our shipment!" Sokka said, grabbing at his wolf-tail, "That's...we need that for us. You have a good poker face, dad, but the hunting has been, well you know, lately." He said meaningfully. Katara felt even worse about practicing her bending this afternoon.

"Well, we could double our hunters," Bato offered up, "Yeah, we'll be tired as hell, but the other option isn't even an option, is it? The Fire Nation is dangerous, especially at the palace."

"Yes, that's a choice we shouldn't even consider," Kya said, "Right Hakoda?"

Katara looked around the room. Doubling hunting parties would run everyone into the ground, to sickness and possibly even death. Their hunting wasn't even particularly sustainable now since spring was coming early and most of their prey had vanished or produced little offspring. She felt sick as she imagined going to the Fire Nation, but looking at the gaunt faces of her people- the people she was just as responsible for as her father and mother- she felt her fingers reach out.

"But wait-," Katara said, reading over the parchment, "It says here that any town that produces a contestant will receive funds, food, and other prizes from the capitol. Our town here is the whole Tribe. We could really benefit from this."

There was a long silence after her words.

"Katara, are you-,"

"Well, we can't very well send any other girl," Katara said a little bitterly, the reality of what she was offering to do weighting down on her as she threw the parchment back onto the table, "No one is else a waterbender. If it's going to be dangerous, it should be someone who can bend."

"Plus, most of the other girls are already betrothed that are of a reasonable age," Kya added, frowning, "Katara, we don't need their provisions. We've survived by ourselves and we still will." She said. The next thing out of Katara's mouth surprised even herself. It was what she imagined a better version of herself saying, one that was perhaps fueled by her own guilt she felt now.

"We shouldn't be so proud," Katara argued, "I mean, it's not like I'll win. I don't have a guy tying me down here and even if I'm only there two days we'll still get the provisions."

"Two days could be dangerous enough!" Sokka said, slamming his fist, "I'm not going to let you!"

"Sokka, you're not the chief," Katara said, standing.

"Fine, I'm not. Dad, tell her." Sokka said, turning to his father.

"If we don't send someone, we'll have to send three times our food. You and I both know we can't afford that. If we deny that, we'll lose and they'll for sure enslave us. It will be three times our food and our freedom. We won against them once, just barely. You and I both know we don't have the army to sustain a battle against the whole Fire Nation." Katara said, leveling her tone to one of sheer logic. When her father still seemed unmoved, Katara sighed, "Dad, let me choose this so that everyone else will continue to have choices."

"Is no one going to point out that the current Fire Lord is really a bad guy? What if his son is just as evil?" Sokka said, wiggling his fingers, as though evil was something that could be touched.

"I can handle him," Katara said, raising her chin. Of that, she was wholly confident. She'd already battled off two or three suitors here...how much different could the heir of the Fire Nation be? When it came down to it, he was a guy like the rest, wasn't he? "And maybe it wouldn't be bad to have someone over there. I can learn things, feel out how the Fire Nation's doing. You and I both know I'm better at politics than Sokka."

"Hey," Sokka said angrily, "So not true."

"Mhh…" Bato made a humming noise of disagreement in the back of his throat but didn't directly contradict. But the thought was there and Katara beamed, "Hey, this doesn't mean I agree with you, kid." He said at Katara. She nodded in understanding.

"Honey?" Kya questioned, nudging their father who had been as silent as a stone this whole time, and as unmoving.

"You all give me very valid points," He started, leaning forward, "But in the end, I cannot send you, Katara. You are my only daughter and I will not endanger you." He said.

Sokka sat back, relaxed. Katara opened her mouth in anger.

"I-, I…" She began to argue.

"No!" her father snarled, "My choice is final. Bato, gather anyone who is able to hunt. We will survive, as we have. Widen our range, ration. Perhaps if we comply with them, we will be able to barter it down to twice as much." He said, standing.

"Dad, this is crazy!" Katara said, running after him, "I don't get why you're so stubborn about getting help."

"We don't want help from those traitorous dragons," Sokka hissed, "Obviously." Katara threw ice his way, just enough to make him cold.

"Whose confrontational now?" She demanded in a cold fury.

"You are so stubborn you can't even see when we're doing this for you!" Sokka growled.

"Children!" Their mother snapped, sending both of her kids a harsh glare as they lowered their heads. Katara was still seething, though, biting the inside of her cheek so she didn't start crying in frustration. Her father touched her shoulder gently, and she looked up.

"Katara," Her father said, "I will not willingly send anyone else there. For all we know, Hana was dead long ago. We know nothing of their traditions and you are needed here." He said firmly, "Do not argue with me, young lady." He said, a clear warning. Katara felt an argument bubbling up her throat but stalked away slamming up a wall of ice between her and everyone else.

She was no longer a child, she could very well make choices for herself. Hunting had not been sustaining, of late. They were secretly trading with the nearest Earth Kingdom island for things as simple as rice, how in the world could they give up the very thing keeping them all alive? Her father moved in to hug her, but Katara did not reciprocate. Instead, she took the long way back to her hut, but even then her anger had not abated.

She stalked the floors of her room, wondering how her father couldn't see that he was choosing wrongly? No one came to talk to her, although she supposed she'd made it clear enough she didn't want to see anyone.

She looked outside. It was still a couple hours until sunset. She saw everyone gathering out the window, spears and hunting supplies being given out to people that had never been out before. She felt guilty, knowing she should be with them because she only needed her water to kill prey, but she was so upset that she might accidentally freeze the next person that dared talk to her.

It seemed everyone was doing their part, and she even saw her own family going out on a canoe to try for some fish. Within two hours, the whole camp sounded like a ghost town.

And this gave Katara an idea.

She didn't have much in the way of personal possessions. Most of the things that would have been considered as such, such as dolls or polar-bear dog stick figures, had been in her childhood and given away to more needing girls. She only had a couple scrolls, a few of her favorite shirts, and her mother's betrothal necklace she'd given Katara when she'd come of age three years ago to marry to pack away before she felt content.

Being a waterbender in a city made mostly of ice had its perks, such as Katara being able to slip around through the camp via ways most normal people could not. She'd left a note carved on the wall of her room...her family would understand, and she hardly thought someone like her would last long in a competition like this. She knew she was unlike most girls and she didn't know the faintest thing about being a lady, clearly not what she was sure the Prince was looking for.

The large Fire Nation vessel was imposing, but she felt confident as she walked up the gangway. Had the entirety of the village not been out hunting, she wouldn't have made it this far, as the Watchtower would have seen her. As it was right now, it was guarded by two thirteen-year-old boys who were more interested in flirting with some girls than paying attention to dangers or the daughter's chief slipping out of camp.

"Princess Katara!" The skinner of the man said when she was brought to him. She didn't correct him this time, as it would only help her case.

"I'm sure you can infer why I'm here," Katara said, letting her bag slump onto the metal floor.

"Ah, the better choice, if I do say so," He said, patting his head try in relief, "The Fire Lord will be pleased. I can send someone down to collect the rest of your things," He said, waving over a man in a uniform.

"No, this is all I have," Katara said, and at first, the man stared at her as though she was joking. When it was obvious she was not, he coughed.

"Oh, sure." He said, "Are you...ready?" He asked.

Katara looked backward, though it was a futile gesture since she could not see through the metal of the ship, perhaps that was best. She couldn't have second thoughts.

"Nearly." She said, taking out the parchment, "First, I want to be clear, if I'm only there three hours of this competition, we will get food." She said. She was sure that maybe the Fire Nation already knew they were starting to struggle because the man didn't' seem surprised at her admission.

"Yes, of course. It is an honor to be chosen and it should be reflected to your people," He said, fully believing it.

"Uh-huh, and do I sign this somewhere? That I agree to these terms? That I am truly part of this whatever it is now?" She said, pointing to a place at the bottom of the scroll.

"Yes, to make it official." The man said, handing her a quill, "If you don't know how to write your name-,"

Katara sent him an offended look, "I can write!"

"Oh, well I do apologize. We just don't know much of your tribe, Princess, and you are the least advanced to all the other nations and so it might not be so far of a jump to think-,"

"That we are savages?" Katara said bluntly, "Well, you'd be wrong." She said and wrote her name in her prettiest handwriting. The man seemed impressed. She might not know which fork to use at a fancy dinner setting but she was intelligent enough to figure it out. And just because her tribe preferred the old ways didn't mean that they were behind. In fact, in many ways, they were further along than their sister tribe, which still treated women as inferior beings. She had heard that their women were only allowed to use waterbending for healing! It was the most absurd thing she'd ever heard!

"Thank you," The man said, filing it away, "I suppose we should begin our journey. The sooner we get home, the better." He said brightly, turning to another man and giving him instructions, "Let me walk you to your cabin, Princess." He offered. It seemed he wasn't going to get the message she abhorred that, so she let it go. There were worst things to be named, she told herself.

"Actually, I'd like to go on the top deck," Katara said, "I've never been on a boat this big before." She said.

"Whatever you wish, Princess. We are all here to protect and serve you while you are part of this competition, and while you're from the smallest town, you are still one of the more regal of contestants." He said, which surprised Katara.

He led her to the top, where many people nodded to her along the way. So far, she hadn't felt any hostility, merely respect. She kept her water skin on her though, always prepared.

The ship didn't take long to set sail, and she'd predicted they'd done most of it not long after the meeting to hoist away as soon as they could. She watched the walls of her tribe slide away in the distance, waiting for someone to run out after the ship, just so she may see her mother or father or brother once again. But no one did.

In fact, no one might even know she was gone until she was already far into Fire Nation territory. And so the ship sailed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, I was going to wait the two weeks and finish that other chapter of the story, but OMG the response on this was just so overwhelmingly positive that I've continued writing and I'm far enough ahead to have decided that I will update this once a week, around the Friday night/Sat daytime area :) Like, I got such a positive response, and I can't remember the last time a fic got that much!
> 
> Lots of people commented on how they liked Katara's portrayal, which I'm ecstatic about. That was a big thing for me here. I mean, we see she's a strong person in the original series, but she's a child. She's had four years in a different world to help her grow. She might not be quite as cut-throat sometimes as we see her, but she is just as good as any man and baby she's gunna prove it. And, this is me pushing back against the comics and LoK because I have a lot of upsets about how Katara was portrayed in those :( But, to talk about those disappointments is neither the time nor place.

"Princess!"

"Huh?" Katara bolted awake, blinking wearily at her surroundings. She wiped away a trail of drool from her cheeks, glancing around. Ah, yes, the Fire Nation ship.

There was another knock on her steel door, "May I...come in?"

"Oh, yes." Katara said, wiping her eyes and trying to comb her fingers through her hair. She found her bag and found her bone-carved comb and tugged it through her thick mane. She wondered how much longer they had to go before they reached their destination?

The skinner man came in, Representative Pan- the other named Representative Liao- eyeing Katara's less than a presentable state with a thin expression.

"We should have asked for your handmaid to accompany us," He sighed.

"Handmaid?" Katara echoed, "I am an adult and fully capable of dressing myself." She said, already beginning to put her hair up in her usual braid. Pan looked a little pale at seeing her, a 'Princess' doing such things herself.

"It's not that-nevermind. At the Palace, you will have a handmaid." He muttered, more to himself than anyone else. Katara opened her mouth to deny him but recalled that on her list she must submit to whatever the Fire Lord deemed necessary. She was sure he would deem a handmaid for her necessary.

Well, she would be nice to them, she decided, and only use them for questions. She would continue to dress herself, because it felt strange to imagine someone else doing such things for her.

"How long was I sleeping?" She asked. The boat rocked her to sleep with an ease she hadn't felt in years. She hated to admit it, but the bed here was extremely comfortable. She wondered how the beds at the palace could usurp this?

"We have arrived," Pan said suddenly, as though recalling the reason for waking her, "And, not that long. We've only just docked, so…"

Katara looked at her clothes and sighed. Pretty much all there clothes in the Water Tribe were made for, well, winter weather. She had forgotten that the Fire Nation was likely much hotter in her haste to made her escape. But no matter, she would make due. It wouldn't be the most glamorous of outfits, but since when was she concerned with making a statement to begin with?

"I'll meet you out there, then." She said and Pan gave her a nod before leaving her be.

She was sure she could have asked for some clothes more weather appropriate, but she was going to wear blue proudly into the Fire Nation for as long as she was able. Or, at least for the first couple days.

She is tying her strap around her waist when she comes out of the room. Pan was waiting and he looked aghast.

"What?" She asked, frowning, tightening the strap on her leather bag closed.

"Don't you have something a little more...formal?" He asked. She agreed that this wasn't the most impressive outfit. It was something she would wear on a casual day underneath her outside robes. She had brought one of the outfits her mother had tailored for, but alas it was lined with fur.

"I do...but it's a little…"

Pan blinked at her, waiting. She gave a shrug with both of her hands,

"Well, since I come from a gigantic floating piece of ice-," She began and Pan held up a hand.

"Understood," He sighs, "Well, the seamstresses will have to make you new clothes." He muttered again to himself. He does that a lot. Katara wonders if it's just because of her.

"Is the Princess ready?" Liao thunders, coming up to Katara, "Oh, what an...interesting garment!" He exclaimed.

"I've been told," Katara said dryly, narrowing her eyes.

The boat isn't moving so Katara is sure they've already docked. She tilted her head, and already she could feel the warmth of the Fire Nation weather inside the corridors. She'd read up on all the nations, obviously, but this would be her first time out of her own Tribe. If she pretended she wasn't terrified, she'd be lying.

"Follow me, Princess," Liao bows, "Someone-take her bag for her. She shan't need to carry it herself." Once again, Katara thinks the Representatives sound far too affronted at something not all that bad.

Different world, she reminded herself gently, repetitively.

It's really sunny, sunnier than it's ever been in the Southern Water Tribe, and Katara has to blink rapidly to adjust her eyes. Once she is able to see properly, she can look at her surroundings. There are a lot of ships docked, the expanse stretching as far as she can see on both ends. People bustle about the busy docks, carting boxes and animals and just about anything that Katara could imagine could be shipped. At the bottom of her ramp is a palanquin waiting, something she'd only seen in pictures.

"Is that really needed?" She asked, but regretted it. Of course, there would be a palanquin.

"Well, the Palace is about an hour walk on foot from here. Surely you wouldn't want to walk that far yourself?" Pan questioned. Katara bites her tongue. She was used to walking long distances for hunting back home or to explore new places. But she'd never done it in such heat before, plus, she figured she might as well try to start getting used to these sorts of things.

Pan and Liao seem relieved she doesn't try to fight them and all three climb into the heavily pillowed square. Katara is acutely aware of people watching her as she walks over to it. She decides to jut out her jaw and look confident.

"Most of us have never seen someone from the Water Tribe. You all are quite...solitude." Pan picked his words carefully.

"So what, I'm just exotic and strange?" Katara feels really weird, like a fish in a pond.

"Well, basically, yes," Pan said, blinking at her question, "I wouldn't take offense, though. They can tell by the way you walk that you are someone of power, not a commoner. And, I'm sure you've never seen a Fire Nation citizen until us, right? And must we look different to you." He sounds relieved about this. One less thing he has to teach her, Katara thinks. She doesn't like to admit his logic is sound; they are different, all pale and black-haired...In fact, they look sickly to Katara, something she's smart enough not to say out loud. Water Tribe members are genetically more bulky, have more fat and muscle. The people here are thin and look a little underfed, which is ridiculous since they have more food here than Katara's tribe has in a week.

It's a nice ride to the Palace. She is enthralled by the streets and the vendors and the smells wafting through the air.

"Fire Nation food is quite spicy," Pan said enthusiastically, "Water Tribe food is not, I hear?" He says.

"Well, no," Katara frowned, "Spice is hard to come by. In most dishes, it's not worth spending money on it and we have to preserve our meat anyway so…" She trailed off. She'd gotten used to the bland tastes of her food years ago. She's not sure how she'll respond to this food.

"Rest assured, Princess," Pan says at her expression and Katara sighs at the title they insist on calling her, "Your food will be featured during the competition. Every nation's is." He said.

"Oh," She hadn't been expecting that. It pleases her.

It feels like a very short time before Liao is pointing out the Palace rising above the wooden roofs in the distance. Katara's eyes widen without her realizing it...the Palace must be as large as her entire village.

"It's something," Pan gives a low whistle in agreement, "Beautiful, no?"

Katara wishes she had something nasty to say about it. All she can manage, and it's not even that rude is, "I think I'll get lost," for, in fact, it just makes her sound foolish. But Pan looked at her with mirth and smiled.

"We'll get you a map," He laughed.

They are greeted by an array of soldiers that all bow when Katara passes by them. This unnerves her, she wants people to stop pretending she's more important than she actually is. If she's a nobody, the sooner she can be eliminated.

"Come this way," Pan says, waving to her, "We will show you to your quarters. Not all the girls are here yet, so you'll have the next two days until the competition starts." He said. Katara nodded along, her eyes tracing the elaborateness of the palace. She is in awe of the pictures and the tapestries and the colors and the lushness of it all. She used to think her own home was a pretty big deal, being the only house that had multiple rooms and a tin roof, but seeing this...she feels incredibly poor and small in every way.

"You will be confined to these halls until the competition officially starts," Pan says, waving to an area behind two very grand and very large doors. Doors Katara's not even sure she could open all by herself, "Each contestant gets their own room."

"All thirty-five of us?" Katara can't hold in her amazement, "How big is this place?"

"More like a town itself, and there are still guest rooms to spare," Pan isn't fazed by the size, just shrugged.

"If you make it to an Elite, you will be moved to a bigger and nicer suite, but that's only for the top ten. For now, you'll have a room with all the basics- groups of five share a bathroom. Food will be brought to the main dining area here. There's a garden too so that you can go outside, but you mustn't leave this area until the competition starts. Do you understand?" He asked and Katara gave a firm nod. She did understand; they wanted no chance that someone meets the Price and gain an unfair advantage before anything started. There was the semblance of things being fair, she thought, although it all seemed like a ruse. On the way there, she'd asked if anyone was eligible to be chosen. Liao had seemed...unwilling to answer, but finally, after lying a steely gaze on him, he did. As it was, he explained, technically, yes. But unofficially, there was a screening process so that no one endangered the Prince or the Royal Family. But Katara understood what he was saying between the lines...they screened so only suitable contestants would be chosen.

"You'll be here, by the other Water Tribe contestants," Pan said, waving a hand to a row of doors with a water-tribe emblem hanging on them. Now that she looked at it, there were emblems for Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom hanging from doors too. Her own had a water tribe one.

"Water Tribe?" She frowned.

"Northern, of course." Pan said and Katara felt really dumb, "They've participated in these longer than your Tribe has. They send quite a few contestants."

Katara wondered if anyone else was a waterbender. On one hand, she wanted another person like her, one she could swap tricks of the trade with. On the other hand, being a waterbender was rare, unlike being a Firebender, and she liked being unique.

"Liao and I will be around if you need anything else, Princess Katara. We will be your representatives as well." He smiled broadly at her. Katara blinked, and a small coil of warmth rose in her stomach. They seemed genuine and nice. And, it wouldn't be bad to have someone looking out for her, or whatever they did.

"Thank you, sincerely," She said, bowing her head a little.

"Yes, well, enjoy and good luck." Liao said, reaching over her and opening her door to her room, "Soon, your handmaiden will be up along with some other resources and your items. I hear there's already a letter waiting in there for you."

Katara tried not to wince visibly.

"Ah, well, I guess I should have expected that…" She knew it was from her parents and Sokka. Who else could it be?

"You should be pleased your family cares so much," Pan said, misinterpreting her frown. She figured they'd find out she'd left without her father's permission soon enough. Plus, she'd signed in. She couldn't leave now. One day, she hoped, she'd be forgiven.

The two men left her to her own devices and Katara slid back against her closed door, giving a shuddering sigh. She hadn't wanted them to see how nervous she was about this whole thing or about how she was starting to doubt everything. Now that she was alone, it all came out.

She wasn't sure how long she allowed herself to let it all out, but soon her tears abated. She looked around her room properly for the first time. It had a single bed, a canopy with simple blue sheets and a mountain of pillows. There were a small chair and side table next to it, and then a desk next to a large wardrobe. She had a door outside and it led directly to the courtyard, and she counted thirty-five doors leading outside. The room was just as small as her room at home, but certainly better decorated. But she didn't need more than that.

She opened the wardrobe in curiosity and saw a silk robe and a pair of standard pajamas waiting for her, along with many empty hangers. She couldn't possibly fill all those hangers with items of clothing, could she?

The letter was lying on her desk. She broke the seal and opened it. Yes, it was exactly the sort of letter she'd been expecting.

Her father was furious, so furious he was misspelling words and swearing, something he rarely did. Her mother was apparently a wreck and Sokka had to be restrained from taking a boat out and coming after her himself. He'd been informed via a scroll left behind that she'd signed and it was binding, but he basically told her in the letter that when she was eliminated and back home, she was grounded indefinitely.

It hurt to read it, but it was valid.

At the bottom was a less upset note, saying to update them as soon as she got there because they were of course worried. And to write every day so they knew she was fine.

So, she did. It was simple because she wasn't sure how to talk to them yet. Did they want to hear how big the palace was? Was Sokka going to be interested in the food here? Did her mother want to see her drawing of the dresses she'd wear? She'd just have to see, she thought.

She left her letter on her desk and was sealing it as there was a knock at her door.

"Come in," Katara called.

Five people bustled in, more than Katara had been expecting. They all look they have jobs to do but at the same time, they all look very happy to see her.

"Princess Katara! Your joining was quite the surprise, quite the gossip this morning." One of them said, seeming to be the leader of the group.

"Ah, yeah, guess it was a last minute thing." Katara said, standing, "Who are you all?" She figured correcting them about the princess thing was as useless as correcting Pan and Liao.

"I am Tao Zhi, and I am the organizer of the selected. I will be informing you and the other contestants of rules, taking care of anything you need that your maid can't handle, and generally keeping this selection up and running. This is my assistant, Wei," She said, pointing to a burly man who didn't seem like the assistant type at all who was furiously taking notes on his little parchment.

"Hello," Katara said pleasantly, eyeing the other people in the room. There were two that seemed to stand apart from the third, who hardly looked older than Katara was.

"This is Aiga, and she is your handmaid. She will help you get dressed for the day and put on your makeup, as well as be here for you for basic things. She will be able to answer any queries, deliver letters as well as take them to the Falcons, and do requests from you since she is able to leave this area and you are not as of right now. If you have any allergies or needed medications, she will take note. She will learn your favorite foods and favorite items and relay them to us."

"Princess," Aiga curtsied. Katara smiled at her. She didn't seem too demanding. She seemed a little meek, which Katara thought was better than a commandeering handmaid, as she was sure those existed.

A woman with slightly graying hair was standing Katara up before she was even introduced. The other, a woman only perhaps ten years younger than the other, turned Katara's face side to side.

"This is Shi, who will be making your wardrobe, and Rini who will be giving you a make-over."

"I don't think I need a makeover," Katara said uncertainty.

"No, you do," Zhi said without even looking up, "She'll be by tomorrow to do the necessary procedure. She's just here to take a look at the subject." Zhi sounded so detached from it that it made Katara feel a little strange.

Rini nodded approvingly, which couldn't be a bad thing and went to stand back next to Wei and Zhi.

"If you need anything, ask Aiga, until tomorrow, Princess." Zhi bid her farewell, leaving her with the seamstress and Aiga.

The seamstress had begun to take measurements.

"Uhm, if you could, I don't want Fire Nation looking things, I would prefer they stay true to me," Katara spoke up quietly, unsure how much say she had in this. The woman looked surprised.

"Well, of course. It's not every day we have a Southern tribeswoman in this selection, you know. People will want to see you as your nation." She said assuringly, "But I admit I'm not familiar with your lookings."

"Oh, well," Katara saw Aiga had brought her bag up, "I have these." She said, rolling out the clothes she'd brought with her across her bed. Shi began to furious scribble on a piece of parchment, "They're a little too warm for this weather, I think, though." Katara said in a weak attempt at a joke.  
"Such beautiful beading," Shi said with admiration at the sleeves, "And quite unique materials. I will enjoy making your items more than the common Earth Kingdom items I must do." She said, which filled Katara with a slight hope that she wouldn't look awful.

"When will I get these clothes?"

"Well, hard to say," Shi said, "Not all at once."

"I sorta need something because this is all I have that's even part-way cool enough," Katara said, picking at her tunic.

"I can bring you some things for now," Aiga said immediately, bowing her head, "I'll try to find natural colored things if you'd prefer."

"Yes," Katara sighed in relief. She wasn't ready to dive into red things yet.

Shi asked Katara bit more about her specific Tribal cultures, and Katara enjoyed enlightening someone else. It wasn't often strangers came to her tribe and she had so much to tell people about it. She could see the excitement mounting in Shi's eyes as she talked.

"You will have on of the most unique sets, though don't tell the others," Shi said, giving a small smile. Katara beamed. Things were going well. She hadn't been killed by someone yet, and no one had attempted. People were kind to her more than not. She didn't even miss the cool winds of the Southern Pole.

And then, she was left alone with Aiga.

"Princess-," Aiga began. Katara, now alone and feeling much more casual, gave a groan.

"Not Princess," She corrected, "Call me Katara. I'm not a Princess. I'm a daughter of a chief, okay?"

"But doesn't that-,"

"No."

Aiga seemed to be battling herself but after a moment nodded.

"Okay, Katara," She frowned to be using Katara's name in such a casual way, "How can I assist you?"

"I want to get this letter to my family, let them know I'm alright." She said, picking up the letter.

"Of course, right away. Also, do you have any special requests for dinner? It's only a couple of you here so far so the chef is able to make requests." She said.

Katara almost said she'd be okay with anything, but then thought about it. She allowed herself to give herself this, "Sea prunes? Do you have those here?" She asked.

"Not usually, but it was requested from some of the other Water Tribe ladies, so we do. I'll be sure to pass it along. I will be back later tonight to see if you need anything else and to bring some clothes for the next to days." Aiga said.

"Okay," Katara said, but found her still standing there.

"You must dismiss me," Aiga said kindly, but was looking at Katara, wondering where she must come from to not know such things.

"Oh, okay." Katara furrowed her eyebrows, "You're dismissed." It felt strange to be so authoritative, but Aiga seemed pleased and bowed to her, before backing out of the room.

Katara hung up her garments, put her scrolls on her desk and her comb and other items next to her bed before flinging herself on the soft sheets.

She wondered how many other people were here. Other Water Tribe girls, maybe they knew each other already. Her heart panged and for one selfish second, she wished she was not the only person here from the Southern Water Tribe. But that was thinking of herself and not others and she was still confident that she could handle whatever came along, but a non-bender from her tribe might not be. Even though she was fine right now, it didn't mean she always would be.

Even though it was only a couple hours after sun-up, Katara was exhausted. It was far too easy to let herself nap in those soft sheets. She hadn't realized the strain that would be placed on her and the effort this day would take.

Katara never napped. The idea that she had no immediate things that needed to be done was a bizarre concept to her. She usually filled her day with a plethora of things to keep herself busy, and she rarely had downtime. There was always something to be doing. She could go hunting, scavenge for medicinal plants, mend clothes, skin and hang meat to dry in the smoke-house, watch the children, visit with the elders, take a watch duty...ah, yes, life was never boring or filled with free time in the Water Tribe.

She hadn't meant to nap, it just happened.

As it was, she woke shortly after sun-high, awakened by the breeze billowing in through her slightly ajar door. She stretched out and decided to explore the spaces she was allowed to walk about.

All of the contestant's doors were on one side, winding around the open garden in a square. She saw her name had been written on the door in a neat penmanship and counted twelve other names on the doors so far as well. She had thought she was one of the last to arrive but apparently, that was not so. There was an overwhelming number of Fire Nation girls, although the Earth Kingdom was the biggest province, and not surprisingly no airbenders.

100 years ago, the Airbenders had all been wiped out. It was a virus that went around, only poisoning those that had the air-bender or nomad gene within them. Lots of people blamed the Fire Nation, who was in the middle of their war, but nothing was ever proven. The fact of the matter was, sadly, all the airbenders had been killed. Katara vainly hoped that maybe one would pop up somewhere, but as far as she knew, it hadn't happened yet. One more reason to fear the Fire Nation; they could wipe out entire races with just science, which admittedly wasn't used often in the Water Tribe.

On the other side of the doors, every five or so doors there was a bathing room, full of a water closet and large baths and scented soaps. In the Water Tribe, soap was made from animal fat and was merely to wash away the dirt and grit, the idea of scenting it to cover one's smell hadn't been something to ever cross Katara's mind. She thought that maybe she wouldn't mind bathing with such good smelling oils and soaps.

The 'women's area' was really two rooms, both equally large in size. In the first section were tables and couches and bookshelves filled with books, arranged by genre. Katara had only ever held scrolls and excitedly ran her fingers up and down the book spines. She was eager to read all of these, if she got the chance, and wondered if she could take them to her room?

The second area was the dining area, a far more casual spectacle than Katara anticipated. Low tables and cushions sat in a square, thirty-five seats, just like the rooms. It seemed that when they ate here they wouldn't be expected to show proper grace or whatever, something that made Katara feel a smidgen better.

Lastly, she explored the gardens. It was a large structure, filled with ponds and trees and little benches to read. She spied a couple girls already lounging, one napping in the sun and another two giggling near a fountain, but she steered away. She didn't intend to talk to anyone until she saw a girl with beautiful white hair wearing something that looked like Water Tribe clothing.

Her curiosity won her over.

"Hello," Katara began unsurely and the girl looked up. She had a book in her hand from the library, and when she saw what Katara was wearing her smile widened.

"You must be from the Southern Water Tribe!" She gasped, moving over on the bench to allow Katara to sit. Katara noticed that even her casual clothes she was wearing were nearly as beautiful as the ceremonial robes Katara had brought. She seemed perfectly comfortable in it too, but it seemed it had been tailored for summer weather. This girl knew beforehand she was coming.

"I am, I'm Katara," She introduced herself, extending a hand.

"Princess Katara," The girl's eyes widened and a look of excitement flashed across her face, "I'm Princess Yue." She said, shaking Katara's hand. Katara realized why she seemed so eager, this was her sister chieftain's daughter, a bond that they both shared, despite the obvious differences. She knew that the Northern Water Tribe was much more concerned with hierarchy and still did arranged marriages.

"Well, it's just Katara," She felt tired to explaining this, but she wasn't ready to be called something she wasn't, "We don't use Princess over where I'm from."

"But you are the daughter of the chief," Yue asked, frowning.

"Yes, that's me," Katara affirmed. Yue tapped her chin.

"You probably don't recall, but we visited your tribe when we were children. Your older brother Sokka threw snow at my face." She said, a soft smile gracing her lips. She seemed every bit the idea of a Princess that Katara imagined one would be.

"Yeah," Katara snorted, "That sounds like him."

"I recall you were much more interested in playing outside than sitting inside," Yue added. That also did sound like Katara. She furrowed her eyebrows, thinking back and in the depths of her memory saw a flash of a young girl with silken hair crying about the wetness on the front of her furs and Katara waterbending it off.

"Is it just you? I have to say, everyone's a little shocked the Southern Tribe offered anyone up at all."

"It wasn't much an offer," Katara mumbled, feeling her cheeks flush, "I...sorta left without permission. And yes, just me."

Yue blinked a couple times, "You must want to be the Fire Lady quite badly," She commented, trying to ascertain the reason for Katara's reason.

"No, it was...something else." Although Yue seemed like a sweet girl, Katara could not bring herself to admit their hunting troubles, "It was a matter of honor." She finally decided to say and saw that Yue nodded along.

"A very noble cause indeed, apt of a Princess," She teased kindly, "I'm sure that your family will understand soon," She said, patting Katara's shoulder. Katara tried not to frown, for she wasn't sure of that.

"Do you know anything about Prince Zuku?" Katara asked, having only heard his name when it was brought up at the meeting.

"Prince Zuko," Yue corrected, "And not much. Only rumors and I daresay they're terribly contradicting. Some say he's a womanizer, some say he's never had a date. Some say he's kind like Fire Lady Ursa, others say he's callous like his father. Some say he's very intelligent, other's say it's a good thing he was born a royal." Yue shrugged, "I don't believe any of it yet."

"I guess I don't care much," Katara chewed on the thought. She didn't tell Yue she intended to be here as short as possible.

"But, what is said by almost everyone is that he is uniquely handsome." Yue sighed longingly. Katara fixed her gaze on her.

"Uniquely?" She repeated, "What does that even mean?"

Yue laughed as though Katara had told a hilarious joke and beckoned for her to join her, "I should introduce you around. There's no reason we all can't get along despite battling for the same thing," Yue said. Katara thought she was much too optimistic, but as Katara was shoved in front of multiple girls, none were outwardly mean to Yue. Perhaps she was just too nice of a person to be cruel to.

She met the other Water Tribe girls, all wearing things still nicer than Katara's garbs. They were all daughters of dignitaries and councilmen and all spoke with the same sort of regalness that Yue did, even a wide-eyed one who giggled a lot and used the word 'like' far too often. Katara felt very uncouth around them.

Some of the Earth Kingdom girls she met were a little better, more like Katara, but she could already tell she was the odd one out because the common thread among everyone but Katara seemed to be how badly they wanted this win.

There was one girl, though, that Yue didn't introduce her to personally. Instead, she steered Katara away of two girls- one bubbly and wearing bright pink and the other solemn looking that was sharpening a knife.

"That's Ty Lee and Mai. They're some of the most influential of Fire Nation girls here. Ty Lee is nice enough, but Mai isn't a nice girl. Besides, they're best friends with Azula." Yue informed Katara in a hushed voice.

"Who's Azula?" Katara titled her head, studying the pair from behind a bush. Yue's mouth hung open a little, but she recovered swiftly.

"Princess Azula, Zuko's younger sister,"

"Great. So they already have an in." Katara muttered. If she cared at all about this competition, she'd find it very unfair.

"Many are saying that it's unnecessary to have The Prince's Choice as it is because Mai will win anyway." Yue said and Katara's frown made her continue, "They were close as children and apparently he's quite fond of her. Why would he bother with this whole thing when he's just going to pick her?" Yue questioned.

"I'm sure that a lot of what we hear is just rumors," Katara said, trying to comfort Yue, "You said yourself you don't believe any of it. And she seems so...depressing. Who'd want to marry that?"

"Don't be mean," Yue said, her kindness returning, but she seemed relieved at Katara's logic and jesting.

She let Katara alone a bit, perhaps reading that Katara was feeling very overwhelmed with so many people all at once.

"Shall I grab you when dinner's ready?" Yue asked.

"Thanks," Katara said in a long breath, "That would actually be really great." She felt like a fish out of water, water tribe pun intended. Yue had such a natural way she walked and interacted that Katara really did feel like the uneducated girl from down under.

Back in her room, she saw when she'd been out that Aiga had left her a little pile of clothing to last the next couple days and nights. She realized that yes, people here probably did sleep in clothes. At home, they just stripped and curled under their furs, because if one put too much on they might overheat. She doubted with these thin sheets, though, anyone here would be overheating. And the clothes that Aiga had managed to find her were still more regal than anything Katara would have brought, on the level somewhere between what Yue and one of the other Water Tribe girls were wearing.

Katara hung them up immediately. She'd been taught to take good care of her things.

In the time before dinner, Katara practiced her waterbending. She set up a small bowl in the middle of her room and practiced her stances. She was proud of her skills as a warrior and healer and wasn't going to let them slack merely because she was in the presence of a prince in some barbaric competition, in fact, that was even more encouragement to practice.

It felt like not long at all that Yue was knocking on her door, the gaggle of Northern Water Tribe girls all blinking at Katara's room behind her. Katara was unsure how she felt about being led around by Yue. Katara was a leader, not a follower, although she wasn't adept at leading in this situation. It didn't seem like any of Yue's girls that walked politely behind her were angry about the set-up. Katara realized that maybe that's how they'd been taught to be their entire lives.

The dining room was clearly set between the different nations of girls. Food from each of their provinces was laid out on the table in sections away from each other and there were enough empty seats to create an area undisturbed for everyone.

"Looks like something someone chewed up and spat out-," Katara heard one of the Earth Nation girls snide about the Water Tribe cuisine. Katara's knuckles clenched, but Yue sighed and shook her head. It's not like Katara was looking forward to starting a fight right now anyway. Plus, Earth Kingdom food just looked so...bland. At least Water Nation food was different colors! Everything on the Earth Kingdom's plate was some form of beige.

The six Water Nation Girls were at the farthest table from anything, the most excluded. Katara found that perfectly fine. She felt a smidgen more comfortable around these girls because as soon as the tantalizing smells of their hometowns started wafting from the trays, their masks dropped and they became like the girls Katara knew from home.

"When my father told me he wanted me to come, I didn't think I'd be able to the entire time without any Seaweed noodles. I recall when he took me here and I was eight and I felt like I started the whole time!" Kilee, so far the most rambunctious of the girls, said as she scooped her platter high with the greenish noodles.

"What do you think the chances of finding seal jerky are here?" Katara asked, remembering Sokka in that moment, and was pleased to see that the girls giggled at her question in a friendly way. She didn't doubt her ability to make friends usually, but these girls here were like another nation to her. Or, so she'd thought.

"My uncle makes the best seal jerky," Saoise raved, nodding enthusiastically, "He said he'd send me some if I got homesick."

"My brother could probably give him a run for his money. No one eats meat like Sokka," Katara said warmly.

"It's true. My father said he'd never seen a young boy devour so much of our stock," Yue added in, as though reminding the girls that Katara was not some common girl. The girls turned to Katara with a brighter look in their eyes.

"What's it like to live in the Southern Water Tribe?" Tapessa questioned, turning her gray-almost sleet blue- eyes toward Katara, "I hear that women are much more...well, appreciated."

"Yes. If I were older than Sokka, I would be chief next, no matter if I were male or female." Katara said nodding with warmth. The girls gawked at her with amazement.

"And," Katara continued, feeling her cheeks warm, "Waterbending is much more of a gift than a curse for women."

"I'm a waterbender," Evdokija- who insisted to be called Eva for short- said quietly.

"Really?" Katara said, turning her full attention toward her, "I'm the only waterbender in my whole tribe. Have you figured out how to form the water around your arms like an extension of yourself? I've been trying to do to that for years and-,"

She realized that the girls were now looking at her either like she was crazy or like they felt sorry for her.

"Well, as you said, waterbending in your tribe with women is more freely accepted," Yue swooped in smoothly.

"I've just begun practicing," Eva admitted in a quiet tone. She frowned, biting her lip and held out her hand concentrating. Katara was immensely confused about what she was doing until she saw a little bubble of tea rising from her cup. Katara bit her tongue before she said something unkind, but she found it hard to believe that Eva was perspiring just from doing that much. After a moment the bubble plopped into the glass again and Eva sat back, wiping her brow. Her friends clapped.

"Good job, Eva! I think you got it higher this time." Saoirse said with the widest most genuine grin on her face.

"That's all-," Katara began to say but then stopped herself.

"We don't get many chances to practice," Eva said, proud of herself with what she accomplished, "We have to fill out a long sheet to even be accepted to the healer's lessons. It wasn't worth it for me. I won't need it. With any luck, I'll marry Prince Zuko and I doubt he'll care."

Katara gave a long nod, contemplating what the girl had said. She gave the girl what she hoped was an appreciative smile because the last thing Katara truly wanted to do was steer her away from her gift.

"I mean, you must understand to practice alone is hard," Tapessa said, turning to Katara, "You said you're the only waterbender, right? I mean, yeah, it's not a lot but think of where you were after just a year."

Katara, who had been sipping on her tea, coughed a bit. Just a year? That's what she'd done in a whole year?

She noticed the girls looking at her expectantly, so Katara put on the biggest grin she could manage.

"You're doing great, Eva. You're right, I guess I forgot." She saw that from behind them, Yue gave Katara an appreciative tilt of her head. Yue had seen Katara's wanderbeindg, years and years ago before Katara even know what it really meant to be a waterbender and knew that Katara was eons above that.

And it had never been hard, not like that, for Katara. It had come easily, as though it was an integral part of her. It was getting difficult now, yes, that Katara had taught herself all the basic and intermediate things and wanted to go further, learn the difficult stuff and spar with someone. Sparring against a non-bender, like her brother, was fun but not the same as sparring a bender.

Out of the corner of her eye, Katara noted one of the Fire Nation girls watching the little group of Water Tribe girls with a narrowed, intense gaze. It was the girl Yue had picked out as the one everyone thought Zuko was going to end up anyway. It seemed she was scrutinizing them, putting them into little categories in her head already before meeting any of them further than a curt hello. Why would a girl that was a shoe-in be so calculating?

"Katara!" Saoirse nudged Katara's arm, forcing her challenged look at the surly girl and back to her, "We're all heading to the main room to relax for the night. Would you like to join us?"

"Perhaps you can talk to Eva a little about water ending," Kilee said, "She thinks it's useless but I mean, I think it sets her apart. I can't do that, that's for sure!"

"Sure, if she wants to," Katara said. She had taught before, she taught often. She enjoyed being a role as someone to be able to pass knowledge down to different people. The passing of information through example was such an integral part of their culture, after all.

Little groups were breaking off to retire to the room filled with cushions and pillows and little tables of soft pastries.

"Wow, this is incredible," Katara said, grabbing a lemony-smelling hand pie off one of the tables. Dessert was a delicacy since not many items in the tundra landed itself to sweet foods.

"One of us is is going to be the future Fire Lady," Kilee said, grabbing as many as she could politely grasp. Yue just chuckled at her friend's antics. Katara noted that with groups she was much more reserved, much more like an overseeing figure. Katara wondered if she was as friendly as she'd been with Katara one-on-one with everyone or that was a uniquely special way of treating 'Princess' Katara.

A thrill of excitement rose like a tide through all the girls to speak of being the Fire Lady, save Katara of course. She just smiled with a tight-lipped expression.

The Water Tribe ladies were some of the last and everyone was already settling down with different items. Kilee had a bag in the corner that she pulled out that seemed to store something for everyone but Katara, who watched in awe as they all started their individual things.

Yue was handed a board and she began writing in an elegant hand about her day. Eva had a book on Fire Nation etiquette and little flashcards on parchment. Saoirse was working on a ceremonial gown and her fingers were quick with the beading, making rows of tightly strung hollowed colors like stars on a piece of hide. Tapeesa had a little hand flute and her fingers practiced a difficult looking song silently on the keyholes. Kilee had an embroidering square. Many of the other ladies around the room had similar activities, but the sour-faced Mai was nowhere to be found.

"My mother said to make a square whenever I'm nervous here, to calm me," Kilee explained, taking Katara's gawking for surprise at her mountain of squares unfinished and available, "With how it's going so far, I'm going to have enough blankets made to give to the entire Earth Kingdom!" She twittered nervously, and even though she seemed the most air-headed of the four, her embroidering technique was impressively regal looking.

"What do you do in your spare time, Katara?" Yue asked, noting Katara's bare hands.

"Spare time…" Katara furrowed her eyebrows, "Well, waterbend, I suppose, but even then there's something else I could- no, should- be doing." She trailed off to a mixture of horrified looks.

"You weren't taught to sew or embroider?" Eva said, taking her lack of free-time as lack of skills.

"I know how to do that and plenty of things," Katara snapped, but only because she felt a little inadequate, "But we just don't do things like that." She waved a weak hand toward the things they were doing.

There was a lapse of silence where it seemed even Yue wasn't sure how to respond. Katara rubbed her hands together to ease some tension across her body, "You know, I bought some scrolls with me...maybe I'll just go and get those…" She said.

"Yes, yes," Eva nodded, "That sounds good." The other girls nodded, seemingly put at ease now that Katara was like them again.

Katara bit back a frustrated sigh and left, hurrying down to her room.

Once in her room, she couldn't place the sound she heard the sound of something hitting a solid surface repeatedly, until she glanced into the court-yard to see Mai and some of the other girls practicing things more her style. Mai had a set of knives in her hand was languidly throwing them at one of the trees, hardly paying enough attention to make them fully accurate, but even half-hearted throws were terrifying in a way. The enthusiastic friend, Ty Lee, was contorted into a shape that Katara felt as though she would kill herself if she attempted. There were at least a fire-bender and an earth-bender there too, and they all just seemed to be chatting amicably like the girls in the other room, but not doing frivolous things.

Katara yearned to join them, but Mai's eyes stopped her. Besides, she felt like she may have to ante up her waterbending and that was something she wasn't willing to do quite yet. She liked it being a little secret. Just a little one, because all the water tribe girls knew, but at the moment everyone seemed to stick to their own nations.

But, maybe she had to play a part for now. So, Katara begrudging grabbed the scroll that, albeit she very much enjoyed, she'd read about a million times and brought it back to the room where the other ladies were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how did you all like that? Next chapter, Katara meets two members of the Ga'ang! (Although, it won't really be the Ga'ang here...sadness). Any guesses on which two?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, not sure of how many of you have read The Selection, but for awhile it's going to mirror the events pretty closely...then after awhile, it will feel familiar to things, but will obviously be with a twist and other events will begin to intersperse as we get into the world. I at first thought this would be a straight up simple fic, but as I'm rewatching the series as research, one thing I loved about it when I first watched was the seriousness this managed to put into a kid's show and there are certain elements I really want to keep. So, this is going to go more 'war' in parts that I had expected, but I'm very excited with the outline I have so far! Don't worry, there's still pleeeenty of romance!

The next two days flew by quicker than Katara expected it to. She was awful with free time so she thought the hours would drag on, but that wasn't the case; mostly because she slept. She didn't realize she had the capacity to sleep so much until she didn't have anything to wake up for and food would always be there when she was hungry. She didn't have to go out much, but she did so she didn't seem strange. She also wanted to feel how crowded the halls were getting as more and more girls arrived. In some ways, this packed halls felt like her village, to say everyone was living within short proximity. That is until she saw the items the girls were bringing.

Some she saw dragging what looked like their entire lives through the halls, but she was sure that was just a small portion. Others were a little more like Katara, just with a simple bag or two. As far as Katara could tell, but not like she was the expert on it because until she met up with Yue for the day and Yue insisted Katara meet this or that, they all seemed more proper than Katara was.

Until Toph.

She was perhaps one of the youngest here, maybe scarcely 16, which was the age minimum for applying, Katara later found out. The first time Katara saw her, she was being followed around by an attendant that whispered in her ear at all times and stood a little for any normal person to be okay with until Katara realized that the young girl's eyes were like a film of milk and she was blind. The attendant made more sense now.

Toph seemed like any other high-class girl, despite her disability, if not better than most because whispers and bows followed where she went. Katara got the feeling that if Princesses were more common in the Earth Kingdom, Toph would be pretty close. Katara wondered how she looked so well put together for being, well, blind.

Katara kept an eye on her for a while, because she felt like someone should be watching for the 16-year-old blind kid if no one else was going to. It didn't seem right. So, Katara was hyper-vigilant of Toph's movement. Maybe it gave her something to do since free-time was such a strange concept. Maybe that's why Katara so fiercely grasped onto this. And she wasn't even sure that Toph knew that Katara was following her around from a distance, in fact, she was sure that she had no idea, until the night after one full day of Katara's (in her opinion) masterful stalking.

Katara, when everyone else was asleep, had silently slipped into the gardens, unable to get comfortable. With the pond in the corner, it was perfect for her to just do a couple basic water-bending techniques to calm Katara down. She practiced every day and hadn't a chance to do much today, so that's what she was sure was bothering her.

As she was in the middle of arching the water up into a continuous circle, she noticed a figure in the corner of the garden. Shocked and momentarily terrified, the water dropped onto the grass. Then, as the skies cleared, she startled.

"Toph?" She echoed, "How did you...what are you doing out here?" She said, walking across the grass. She knew from her stalking Toph's window was barred because a blind girl getting lost and falling and drowning in a koi pond would not be a good Prince's Choice.

She stopped short, confused. Toph was now wearing much more casual looking attire, something that Katara would be comfortable wearing, and her hair was pulled up into a casual ponytail. Also, she was smirking, an expression Katara was 100% sure had not been on the girl's face all day.

In fact, Toph had only given demure smiles and looks and spoken softly like speaking too loud would startle herself.

"What? You get to watch me all day and I can't watch you? Double standard much," She snorted, and Katara felt her jaw hang open and stay open. She blubbered incoherently for a moment, completely sure now that the girl standing in front of her was a twin of the girl she'd watched all day, somehow blind as well…

"How did you…" Katara weakly asked, unable to even finish the question. It was preposterous to imagine that Toph had managed to get anywhere in her state.

"With these," Toph lifted her foot gleefully, showing Katara her exposed toes and flexing them.

"Your feet," Katara echoed, "You want me to believe that your feet managed to...see me?"

"Yep."

Katara sent Toph a look of disbelief before she realized that the girl couldn't see, so she gave a more audible huff.

"So, what, are you like two different people, then?" Katara asked, "You seem completely different than all of today." Katara thought she knew this girl pretty well after today. Apparently not.

"Sorta." Toph said, moving her toes around in the dirt, "I mean, this is me, but then there's the other me that those stuck-up rich people like seeing. If they knew I cut the feet off all my shoes, they'd have a heart attack…" Toph trailed off, laughing.

"And you think I won't?" Katara crossed her chest with her arms, trying to size up this girl, seeing her 'true self' now. Katara wasn't sure, after spending all day with more pretentious people, how to handle Toph.

"Listen, Sugar Queen," Toph waved a hand around, rolling her eyes, which Katara was sure for dramatic effect more than anything else, "While you spent all day sizing me up, I was doin' the same. And if there's one thing I know I'm good at picking out, it's at people that don't belong. I've been putting on that act my whole life so don't even try to argue. I just do it better than you." Toph said smugly. It wasn't said unkindly, as though she was trying to one-up Katara, but more in a way that said she had Katara all figured out. And she likely did.

Katara tried to think of a sufficient argument for a while before finally caving, "Fine, I'm not like them and I couldn't care less if your feet are all muddy. So what's it to you?" Katara questioned.

Toph blinked, as though it were clear. "I don't want to be in this alone, and I don't think you do either. I know because you've been trying to make nice with those prissy Water Tribe girls and you're just not that." Toph said.

"A...allegiance?" Katara said hesitantly.

"Great spirits, what is it with you people and politics. A friendship, numbnuts." Toph said, extending a hand. Katara took it with a sigh of relief and noticed a fine coating of dirt all over the girl she was positive hadn't been on her before.

"You're absolutely dirty," Katara said.

"I try." Toph's smile was as bright as the sun, "Back home, my parents would leave me alone for longer and I wouldn't have to dress up like I'm some doll. But here? That attendant thinks I'm deaf and two years old. It took me forever to get my layer of earth back on me," Toph scowled, "I'm sure it will be all washed off tomorrow by force…" She grumbled unhappily.

Katara turned to a garden bench, almost offering Toph assistance, but Toph seemed to know exactly where the bench was. She sat down, putting her hands in her face.

"Why are you here then? You don't seem to happy about it all." Katara said, "Most of these girls act like this is the literal best thing that happened."

"Another reason I liked you," Toph said, raising a finger, "When Prince Zuko's name was said today, you frowned a little instead of turning into a quivering pile of jelly," Toph said, "Which tells me...you're like me. Probably by force."

"Opposite, actually," Katara raised her legs to her chest. She hadn't felt confident in trusting Yue, strangely, but Toph she felt as though this was a friend she'd had years, "I mean, in a way. I ran away to come here. But only because my tribe would have had to triple our shipments here if not and even though my dad didn't want me here we just can't afford it."

"Cities that sent a selected member get a nice thank-you," Toph said, nodding, not informing but reading where Katara was going, "You're a better person than I am."

"My tribe is everything," Katara said forcefully, "I am their humble servant. I do what needs to be done."

She expected Toph to make fun of her, but instead Toph gave something that looked like an attempt at an actual smile, "I wish I was that passionate about something," She said, then paused, "Well, I mean, expect earthbending," She added and clenched a fist and a sliver of earth shot up from the ground.

Katara bounced in her seat, "You're an earthbender!" She said, gasping. And it seemed she was a competent one.

"Yes….that's what I just said…" Toph stared at Katara strangely, "And you're a waterbender."

"You can 'feel' that?" Katara asked, shocked.

"Naw, heard someone talking about it. It's amazing what people say around a blind person. I already pretty much have dirt- the best kind- on everyone here, Sugar Queen."

Katara looked Toph over, "So...how can you see me?" She finally asked the question that had been killing her since Toph had revealed this side to her.

"See this dirt?" Toph said, lifting up her feet, "I can feel through that. You know, like badger-moles see underground. They're who taught me, actually, back when I was yea big." Toph moved her fingers apart an inch, "Now it's incredible what it can do. I can tell who's a guy, who's a girl, what you're wearing and what you're not, feel what people are doing, tell when someone's lying, feel when someone's embarrassed-,"

"Woah, go back. Repeat that last one."

"When someone's embarrassed?"

"No...lying?" Katara repeated incredulously.

"Uh-huh. I mean, it's good to have, since people are really shitty to blind people, actually. And everyone is lying here, basically. Trying to make themselves look better than they actually are. You were doing it...I was regrettably doing it. But in this whole conversation with me, you've been solid," Toph punched Katara's side and actually the punch really hurt, "That's why you're cool. There've been a few other girls I've picked out that might be like us so far, you know- not mindless idiots- but I need to stalk them more first." She teased, nudging Katara.

"You're sixteen and blind! I think I was the only decent person to worry!" Katara said hotly, and Toph snorted.

"I got enough supervision at home and I'm getting a helluva lot more than I want here. I didn't need it," She paused, "But I suppose the thought was nice." She added in a long drawl.

"You're just a ball of sunshine, aren't you?" Katara said sarcastically and Toph grinned wide.

"Awe, sarcasm my friend."

Katara snorted, "You'd love my brother," She muttered. Katara looked up to see the moon already past half-point in the sky, "We should probably get back to our bedrooms. One more day of stalking I guess before the games actually begin. And with any luck, I'll be going home quickly." She added.

"You and me both," Toph said empathetically.

Katara turned to go back to her own room, but then turned back around, "Wait...your room has bars on the window...how did you get out here?" She asked.

"Oh," Toph said, looking a little red, "Well, metal bars...metal is earth...ergo, I can bend it."

Katara shook her head, "No way." She realized belatedly Toph would have no idea she was shaking her head, "That's not...earth benders can't do that."

"Well, I can!" Toph said proudly, "It's something new I've been working on." She added, a little more unsure, "I might be the first. I don't know. In all honesty, it took me most of the night prying the bars apart." She said.

"Well, won't your attendant know your tricks if it's not perfect by the morning?" Katara said, concerned that she might lose the one really good friend she was making.

"I guess that means I better make it look perfect then. Incentive and opportunity for practice," She seemed excited. Katara couldn't help but share a knowing sort of grin. She wished she had times like that to practice her own craft, but alas...it seemed waterbenders were far and few between.

"Night, Sugar Queen," Toph said, "Or...should I say, Sugar Princess?"

"Urg, don't." Katara was sure she'd heard the whole exchange at least five times today of someone greeting Katara as 'Princess' and then Katara murmuring 'Chief's Daughter' under her breath while plastering a smile.

Toph just chuckled, nodding to Katara and heading across the field. When Katara returned to her room, she found sleep to be much easier found than before. It might also be the fact she didn't feel so alone here anymore.

The next day she didn't get much of a chance to talk to Toph personally. Toph was dressed up like a china doll again, perfectly white skin, dewy cheeks, rosy tulip-like painted lips...it was so unnerving knowing how Toph truly was. And that attendant hovered even more than yesterday. Katara wouldn't have managed to talk to Toph if she wanted for the attendant was making sure that Toph talked to 'the right people'. Katara was sure Toph wanted to punch the attendant deep down; punching things seemed to be her response to everything. It wasn't a bad response.

Toph tried to communicate with Katara, though. She would give head inclinations or little coughs toward the people that apparently Toph was staking out to see if they were friendly too. Katara would make a small sound to let Toph know she understood (the first time, Katara nodded and Toph's attempts to let Katara know sent tea nearly into the girl's lap, Katara learned that while Toph could see with things, around the halls the attendants had wrestled footed slippers on her and she was just blind once again). But, Katara decided to let Toph do all the deciding. Apparently, Katara wasn't as good at stalking as she'd thought.

Plus, she was sure her and Toph were looking for the same things in people anyway; either people like them that were in the Prince's Choice for things other than power or the prince (the two things the girls seemed to be split between, some were painfully obvious they were only there to try to climb the ladder of influence) or people that weren't fake about their intentions. If you were here because you wanted to marry and be the Fire Lady, fine, but it was less than four days in and Katara was sick and tired of all the faux-giggling and arrow-like glares being sent around the room. She knew girls could be catty but this was something totally different.

Katara made an effort, though, to talk a little more freely. Her discussion with Toph in the garden the night previous had made something clear; she wasn't going to get through this without allies, even if she only intended to be here a day or two. But she'd go mad without anyone, and she couldn't talk to Toph.

The Water Tribe girls from the other side of the pond were more manageable today, perhaps because Katara was insistent on trying to make an effort. Once she engaged them in conversation about things other than trying to prove herself so different, they had lots to talk about, unsurprisingly. She could tell Yue had deep and well-reasoned thoughts about politics, a topic Katara wanted to poke around a little more with her at a later time. Eva and Katara didn't talk about waterbending, but swapped stories and myths. Kilee and Katara discussed the best way to hunt, skin, and save meat and shared their own personal experiences with tips to cooking. Katara asked Saoirse about the city layout and Saoirse wanted to know about the military training the Southern Water Tribe children received. Tapessa was deeply interested in the education that went on and the role Katara played. In all, by the time the morning had gone by, Katara hardly noticed.

A little after mid-day, it seemed all the contestants had arrived. Katara felt this because she was very aware of how swelled the places seemed compared to yesterday, so she was hardly surprised when Zhi appeared and told the girls to gather in the casual space of the women's room to go over the rules of the competition. She spotted Katara and her mouth pulled down into a frown; Katara had somehow managed to avoid Rini and her 'makeover'. She was hoping the subject would be dropped. From the scribble Zhi made on a notepad that apparently wasn't going to happen. Bummer.

A collection of dresses had begun appearing in her closet; she was up to five now. She didn't think she'd get much more to begin with. Why create an entire closet full for a girl who might only be there a day? Of course, no one knew anything, but still. She had never thought much about fashion, but as she gently ran her fingers over the softness of the robes and the detailing of the quills, she wondered if perhaps she was missing out on something.

And, since she had little other options to wear, she decided to put it on. It was the least ostentatious of any of the gowns...she felt like she shouldn't even touch those, for they may shatter.

Katara arrived in the casual space and saw it was nearly full. Her fellow Water Tribeswoman were in the back, and Yue waved her over with a graceful hand motion. Katara was a little shocked to see they'd thought to save a seat for her. She saw Toph across the room, as dressed up as a doll, and the blind girl's head swiveled to Katara. For a tiny second, she flashed her a goofy grin before her face slid back into the picture of perfection. Katara longed to be able to sit by Toph; she was so much more comfortable. But, Toph was surrounded by other Earth Nation girls and it was nice that Yue was calling her over.

"That dress," Eva sighed, touching the finishing, "It's gorgeous!"

"Shi made it for me." Katara said, blushing, "I didn't have any other clothes."

"You look like you fit in with us now," Tapeesa blurted, then blushed at Yue's hardened gaze, "Not that you didn't before-,"

"There's a lot of people here." Katara broke into her apology.

"Thirty-five," Yue said, nodding in agreement, "It will be hard for the Prince to get to know all of us, although I'm sure his father has imparted some knowledge on how to deal with this."

"He probably knows what he's looking for." Kilee agreed, "Hopefully a stunningly beautiful Water Tribe girl with light brown hair," She said, flashing a grin. From her tone, it was clear she was half-joking, not entirely serious about it. Katara felt a giggle rise up in her throat.

"Ladies!" The sharp tone of Zhi quieted everyone at once. She stood at the front of the room, with Wei standing next to her, holding a large scroll that seemed to be nearly as big as he was. Zhi had a long pointy stick and tapped her feet while she waited for the murmurings to quiet down.

"One must be attentive immediately when attention is called," She said distastefully in her airy voice, "I expect more prompt responses next time when I say I need your attention," She glared at a couple people up front in particular.

"We are here to go over the rules of the Prince's Choice. They are many and strict, so you all must commit them to memory and follow them wisely if you so wish to succeed in this game." She said. Most girls nodded as though her word were gospel, Katara just tried not to make a face.

Wei opened the scroll a tiny bit to show the first rule. Zhi slapped the parchment with her stick so hard the sound reverberated around the room.

"A lady cannot leave the palace on their own accord. It is up to the prince to decide when to dismiss you."

Katara frowned; what kind of guy was the Prince to keep the ladies here against their will? Although, she doubted anyone but herself or Toph had reason to want to leave.

Wei continued to unroll the parchment at each rule and Zhi read through them.

"There is no timeline to the selection. The prince may take however long he chooses to pick a wife- it could last two days, it could last two years. Traditionally, it takes about three months."

"Years?" Kilee mouthed excitedly. For a lot of girls, living here like this with a Prince would be a dream. They may want years. Katara did not.

"The Prince must ask you to set up an individual or smaller group meeting. You are not allowed to facilitate this yourself. Contestants that are found to be sabotaging another girl's chance will be disqualified by the Prince immediately; this includes passing along false information, stealing from another girl, making a girl miss their meeting, causing stress to another girl, hitting them and a number of other offenses. As a general rule, you should only care about what your relationship with the prince is like and no one else's. The Prince will decide what counts as sabotage on a base by base situation, but I would not tempt him."

Katara nodded appreciatively, for she was sure there were some girls here who would like nothing more than to sabotage each other. In fact, a couple girls looked downright crestfallen! How awful for them, Katara thought, that their plan of action was to make other girls look bad!

"The ladies here may only have a relationship with the Prince. He is here looking for a wife and cheating is looked upon most unfavorably, so I would forget about any boyfriends back home. You are fighting for a Prince," Zhi said as though that explained everything.

"I left an advantageous marriage proposal for this," Tapeesa whispered to Yue.

"I know. I wish you luck, of course." Yue said nicely, but Katara wondered if she meant that. She was kind enough she probably did.

"You may not eat any food that comes from outside the palace. This is for your own safety girl, as we have a most helpful system to detect poisons. You would be surprised what sort of low-life people would take pleasure in harming such lovely young ladies. You must allow, when not in these rooms, any photographers, painters or journalists to approach you or ask you questions. In having a chance to win the Prince's heart, you must give up a little of your privacy. Everyone else wants to know who their future Fire Lady is too, after all."

Katara sighed. She was used to having little privacy, being a chief's daughter and all- she was always needed somewhere- but she doubted this would be much of the same causes. It would be much more...fake.

"If you are asked to leave, you will be able to take any gifts or dresses given to you during your time here. And, all girls here will be compensated for their service. The chart here-," Wei pulled another scroll down from the wall, "Outlines what sorts of compensation's your village or town will receive on a week by week basis."

Katara's heart dropped to her chest. She would have to stay here at least a week to gain any sort of anything for her tribe that wasn't something that would be cool for only a day. Plus, she would have to stay at least three weeks for anything of substance that would help her people to be given! Three weeks was not in the plan! She couldn't survive that long, could she?

Her heart raced and she felt a sweat begin to bead on her forehead. This was not what she thought it was going to be.

She vaguely heard Wei continue- something about being an Elite- a term that her representatives had talked about when they first dropped her off- but she didn't internalize it. In fact, she didn't snap back into focus until Wei was rolling back up the sheet.

"And finally, not a rule but perhaps a helpful hint," At least three-fourths of the room leaned in with anticipation, "If the Prince asks you to do anything, it would be wise to say yes, whether this is a kiss, dinner...or something more." She said with a sly smile. A girl in front of Katara fanned herself and sighed something that sounded dirty.

Katara, however, reacted in near revulsion. What sort of Prince was this? Was this whole contest just one big event so he could sleep with thirty-five girls?

Katara didn't care how badly her village needed food, that wasn't going to happen, even if it caused her dismissal!

"One can only hope," Eva giggled and Kilee made a growling noise in the back of her throat.

"Girls," Yue sighed, "Be soft. I'm sure the Prince doesn't want an over-enthusiastic girl." She said sharply, and the two quieted but both spotted a deep blush.

Katara tried to hide amongst the sea of leaving ladies, but Wei reached in and he caught her by her arm.

"There she is!" He said proudly, hauling her in front of Zhi.

"You need your makeover, dreadfully." Zhi said while writing something down on her clipboard, "Wei, be sure she makes it to her room and to Rini who is waiting here. She seems quite adept at evading us," Katara couldn't have been sure, but she thought she might have seen a small smile when Zhi said that.

Wei was a little rougher than Katara would have liked, dragging her to the hall. Katara snapped her arm to her chest.

"I can walk myself. I'm caught, I get it." She snapped.

"Testy," Wei narrowed his eyes, "I hope you don't talk like that around the Prince," He said in an overly annoying tone.

"Oh, you just wait," Katara muttered to herself, but Wei didn't hear. Wei hovered until Katara was back in her space sitting on a chair with Rini's tools spread out in front of her.

"You can go, Wei." Rini said in a dry tone.

"Well, what if she-,"

"I'm not going anywhere. You think I want to jerk around when there are scissors in my face?" Katara said, throwing her arms out. Wei narrowed his eyes but left.

"He's…" Katara grunted, shaking her head.

"Yes, agreed." Rini said without Katara having to finish, He wouldn't even be the assistant if Zhi didn't owe him a favor, one I'm sure she's now regretting," Rini's hands pressed on Katara's face, "I think a deep exfoliation first." Katara was sure she was talking to herself, not asking Katara's opinion.

It's rather enjoyable, she begrudgingly admits. It's deep cleansing of her entire body, and nothing- not even the waxing- hurts too much. Everything but the waxing is, dare she say it, enjoyable even. And the best is that Rini seems to be not at all concerned with trying to make small talk. It's not that Katara hates talking to people, it's just that it seems that there's only one topic anyone wants to talk about...and she can understand why, but it doesn't mean she hasn't tired of pretending to be excited about Prince Zuko. She doesn't want to make it seem like she hates being here already and she wants to make allies and learn about everyone politically so her days of have been filled with small talk starting with 'can you believe' and revolving entirely around a certain firebender. Katara is far too tired tonight to continue that charade.

It's not until Rini gets to Katara's hair that they have a disagreement.

"But I think you would look stunning with a short bob!" Rini pulls her hair back to the length just below her ears to show her in the mirror. Katara admits she does look good, but…

"No, I like my hair loops. It's...it means something to my tribe." She says. Lie; it means absolutely nothing. It's just a convenient hairstyle her mother fashioned Katara in when she was a child and it's been easy and hassle-free her entire life.

"But-,"

"Rini, I feel as though I've been very agreeable with everything else done," Katara's voice is firm and steady, like a river, "So, I think I know when I get to turn you down."

"Of course." Rini seems a little shocked. Perhaps all the other girls just nodded along with whatever Rini wanted, "I appreciate someone who knows when to put their foot down," Rini says after a moment and a warm feeling fills Katara.

The rest of their session is spent with Rini smudging lip colors and rogues and bases of makeup on Katara's arms to match her with the best possible combinations for her skin tone. She has, apparently, a gold undertone- whatever the heck that means. Katara thinks it all looks equally good on her, but after a couple colors Rini would make a puckered face and throw it back in her bag.

"I don't know how to use any of this…" Katara spreads her hand out over the table now littered with little bottles galore.

"Aiga will assist you," Rini says kindly, "And she'll teach you too. You seem like the sort of girl that must dislike a handmaid."

Katara pulls a face somewhere between embarrassment and a smile. Rini doesn't seem like she's set out to make any judgments about Katara though, nor speak on who she thinks should be with Zuko. She's just here to do a job. Katara can respect this.

It seems like it's been all night by the time she leaves. Katara knows she should sleep...they meet the Prince tomorrow for breakfast, the first time many of the girls here will see him, Katara included. She rolls around in her bed for a long time before giving up and going to the garden. She's used to practicing her waterbending before bed and while she hates she's been cycled into this, it's soothing. Water is often soothing.

Not even Toph's light is on in her room. She can't imagine that anyone of these overly-excited girls could have gotten to bed. She wants to know their secret because it seems no one is up. Katara is a little jealous.

Her stance is sloppy and she's doing poorly at best, at least in her standards. If she were a teacher watching her movements, she'd be furious. She hasn't practiced as much as she'd like since getting here. She's met other benders, but few seem so religious about it as she has. Only one other girl- a firebender named Bhairavi- seems as devoted as she, but Bhairavi scares her a little bit and her firebending is used to further her own power other than just merely mastering it.

Something on the roof catches Katara's eye as she's turning. She stops instantly, staring intently at the triangular rooftop and sees a figure moving swiftly across the top of the palace. He's wearing all black and a mask and has a bag in his hand.

"A thief!" Katara hisses under her breath and she's so used to acting at home that she forgets where she is for a second and she hardly knows what she's doing until she has a surge of water knocking him off the roof and into this courtyard.

She is momentarily shocked by her own actions, but seeing that bag in his hand makes her furious for a royal family she hasn't even met yet, merely because she thinks thieves are despicable, and the water she used to knock him over harden as she clenches her fists. The person is wheezing and groaning from falling two stories and hasn't the chance to react as they are frozen to one of the trees in the area.

Katara stares at him afterward; what now? Should she call a guard? Deal with this herself? She really did not think this through.

She first takes the bag laying out on the side of the tree and opens it, finding food inside. A couple loafs of bread, some almost molding fruit, a now squashed pastry...if someone was going to rob the royal palace, why wouldn't they get better food? Maybe they were just a lousy thief, she thought.

The person, now a little more aware, was struggling against her ice restraints. She knew he wouldn't be able to get through, as she'd used this technique on her prey at home many times, just so that she could kill them as painlessly as possible. He's wearing all black, as she saw when she first spied him, with gray gloves. There are two swords on his back, and they do look sharp and dangerous. Tied around the person's head is a mask of a blue dragon spirit, something Katara's seen in legend books.

She considers going back for a guard, but what if he escapes? So, she decides to deal with him herself. She's not afraid; she's dealt with more terrifying enemies before.

She takes the mask off and throws it away from her, and is entirely shocked when she comes face to face with a man that can't be older than her brother. His dark hair hangs in his eyes and his glare is menacing. As he turns, steam coming from his lips as he snarls- which lets Katara know he's a firebender- she notes two things; first, his eyes like a golden sun, and second, scars marring his left eye...they look like it's from fire. Was he foolish enough to hurt himself with is own fire, or is there something else?

"Let me go!" He finally manages to speak, fury and disbelief lacing his sharp tones. He sounds much more put together when he speaks than a common thief, as though he's used to addressing people.

"Unlikely," Katara crosses her arms, "You really think I'd let a burglar go?" She says. He sputters for a second, shaking his head.

"Burglar?" He echoes.

"Yes," Katara wonders how someone stealing can be uncertain of what it makes one, "You were fleeing the castle with this all dressed in black in the dead of night!" She argues.

He's silent, staring at her with widened eyes- at least as wide as his left eye can go.

"So, how do they punish your kind here? In the Southern Water Tribe, we haven't ever needed to punish thieves, but if we did, it would be by freezing their hand off." That's also not true, she doesn't even know the protocol if someone did steal something, but she likes that he seems momentarily afraid.

"I'm not a thief!" He insists, "Agni, who the hell are you anyway?" He asks.

"Katara, of the Southern Water Tribe." She says though she thinks it's stupid he wants to know her name. The man's head whips around and he gives a grave laugh, one in which Katara is not entirely sure it's about humor.

"You're one of the Selected for the Prince's Choice, aren't you?" He manages to ask through his dry chuckling.

"And if I am?" She challenges.

"And you really don't know who I am?" He asks, scrutinizing her. Katara falters momentarily. Are thieves particularly well known around here?

"Am I supposed to?"

The man hangs his head in frustration, "Look, if you just let me go, I can prove to you I'm not a thief and you're going to feel really stupid for doing this." He says.

"How do I know you aren't going to just run away again?" She asks, "Or hurt me?" Her eyes land on his swords.

"Go on, take them. And somehow, I think you'd nearly break all my bones if I tried to run again," He points out. Katara considered these comments for a long moment before she reaches out and unsheaths both the swords, throwing them far behind her.

"Just unfreeze my hands," He says, "I'll thaw myself out."

"I can just-,"

"I can do it," He snaps and Katara raises an eyebrow at his temper, but nonetheless unfreezes his hands. He takes little work to melt away the ice from his body, shaking himself off. Katara draws the water from his clothing and he sends her a look and she likes annoying whoever this person is, even if what she did was helpful.

"Talk." She demands.

"Commanding, aren't we?" He mutters, rolling his eyes and then reaches into his pocket, "You know, I guess I shouldn't be mad. If I were a thief, you'd really show me a lesson. Here I thought all you girls would be prissy and afraid to touch grass outside." He chuckles. His words don't make a whole lot of sense to Katara until he unearths a Fire Nation Royalty hairpin from his pocket. And even then, not a whole lot of sense.

"So you stole the Prince's hairpin?" She says dryly, "Not making a good case."

"Agni woman! I am Prince Zuko!"

Katara stares at him, unsure if she should believe him. He could just be lying. There's no reason he couldn't be lying. And if he isn't, this isn't how she expected the Prince to be at all. If he is, she has to admit that he is unconventionally attractive, as everyone says.

"That proves nothing," She says firmly, crossing her arms, "Why isn't it on your head? Don't Fire Nation men grow their hair out?" She makes a motion of her palm at her shoulders.

"Erm, my sister accidentally burnt it off in a spar last year. It's just growing back now," He admitted a little quietly, gingerly touching his hair that hung down past his eyebrows.

"I still don't know if I should believe you," She said adamantly, "If you are the Prince, why the hell are you leaving the palace with this dressed like that?" She demands.

"When I get antsy at night I- why am I explaining this to you?" He begins but then shakes his head halfway through.

"Because if you don't, you're going to wish all I'll do is freeze your hands off." Katara bares her teeth. He chuckles, nodding.

"Fine, because I guess you could call me a vigilante of the city. I also bring food the kitchens were going to throw away and give it to the homeless around town."

"A Prince with a heart," Katara says slowly, but she's still pretty sure this isn't the Prince. Even if she is a little impressed, prince or not.

"And you're a princess, are you not?" He says, and yes it's strange that would know that, but still.

"Daughter of the chief, I'm getting tired of making that distinction."

He seems unconvinced, "Right. Well, goodnight."

"You think I'm just going to let you go? I don't think I believe you at all!" She says, throwing up an ice wall between his destination- a door to the halls and him. He melts it easily.

"Yes, you are." He says, in a tone that is quite demanding and quite authoritative. If Katara were a weaker person, she might be sighing and moaning at his voice right now, "Because if I'm just a liar we both know you'll find me and bring me to justice, or whatever." He says.

"Give me the hairpin at least," Katara demands, "Because if you are the Prince, I can give it back to you. If you aren't, I'm not letting you leave with that. Take the food, fine, but give me that." She demands.

The man plays around with the hairpin in his fingers for a second before grinning.

"Aren't we clever," He says, "A girl with a brain. How refreshing." He says and throws it her way, "I will need that back, of course." He says, "But I suppose you can just give it to me tomorrow." His grin is absolutely infuriating. He picks up his swords and his mask and walks through the door to the palace where Katara can't follow like he owns the place (which, if he's not a liar, he does).

Katara seriously hopes she hasn't made a huge mistake.

The rest of the night she doesn't sleep either but rolls the hairpin in her fingers. It's so nice, made of thin metal and painted just a little bit. She is a little amazed that the one thing she knows is true is she is holding the Prince's hairpin.

In a way, she does hope it was him a little because otherwise returning this to some guy will be very awkward. But, as much as she hopes, as she nods into a short nap at dawn, she is 99.9% sure that wasn't the prince.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the two members she met were Toph and...Zuko! Haha no one guessed him ;) I'm sure you all thought I would give you a proper warning before we meet him the first time but NOPE. I wanted you to be JUST as surprised as Katara was. And, if this scene isn't a classic zutara, like, no you're lying. This is Zuko and Katara in a nutshell.
> 
> How did you like Toph, by the way? I'm really worried about writing her, for some reason, although I admit I have a lot of fun...


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here it is! On Friday, like I promised :) Katara gets to meet the prince today 'officially' ;) And, there's an awkward breakfast. So read on, dear ones, and enjoy.

Morning comes and Katara is very tired but very anxious. When Aiga comes to help her get dressed and to her makeup- something Katara is far too tired to fight- she still has the hairpin curled tight in her fingers, hidden.

Aiga sees something is wrong.

"You seem quiet today, miss. Nervous about meeting the Prince? He's kind, I promise." She says in a rush, misjudging her quietness. Katara considers it for a moment.

"Well, yes," She is, but not for the reason that Aiga gave a knowing smile at her words when in actuality she knew nothing about it. Katara was nervous to face a Prince and somehow explain to him she apprehended a thief who convinced her he was a prince then she let him go. Maybe she'd just drop the hairpin in the hall, let another servant find it...yes, that seemed much better.

The hallway was buzzing with nervous women who were fanning themselves to keep their makeup from slouching off their faces and all looked like they were attending a most prestigious ball. Some girls were practicing skills to show to the Prince, other languages, singing, reciting poems or book passages. Some girls looked ill. Some couldn't stop giggling. There were only a few that seemed completely composed; Mai, the surly one that had been pointed out the first day, as one. Yeah, if she grew up with the Prince, she'd hardly have reason to be a ball of anxiety, wouldn't she? Yue also just stood, looking perfectly at ease. Katara envied her.

"Ladies!" Zhi rang a little bell and this time, no one continued talking over her. She looked pleased, "In a moment we will be going to the main palace. Do not talk to anyone working, just focus on making it to the place we are to be. Before we go to breakfast with the royal family, you will be meeting the Prince-" She paused, fully anticipating the squeals, sighs, or moans of worry that came from the group, which indeed did, "Who will talk to each of you one on one. While you are not talking to him, a reporter might be going around to ask you a few questions. Remember it is your duty to be polite and answer to the best of your ability. We shall go now!"

The grand doors that Katara had been led through three days ago opened to reveal a bustling palace life already awake at a very early hour. Katara felt herself fall into step beside Toph, something she was sure Toph had more doing than Katara did. Toph's aide hovered annoyingly at her other side, so the pair couldn't talk, but Toph nudged Katara in a way that looked accidental, but Katara knew was on purpose. She flashed a moment of her real face, as opposed to the china-doll facade, and it was somewhere between an eye-roll and a smirk. It made Katara smile.

Then, Toph frowned. The features pinched her small face. She looked at Katara imploringly. She was sure Toph wanted to know why Katara was so nervous; Katara knew she could feel that. She wanted to tell Toph about it, but kept quiet. Her fingers rubbed over the hairpin once again in her pocket.

The group of thirty-five stopped at another set of doors, grander than the ones leading to their halls. Everything here was ostentatious, though, Katara thought.

"Line up! There are chairs to sit on, and we will go in order. You have been assigned so that it's fair, and everyone will receive the same amount of time with the Prince. Now, who's ready to meet him?"

"I can't believe this is happening? Is there something in my teeth, Mika?"

"My hair looks like sticks!"

"I think my lipstick rubbed off, am I good?"

Katara heard the hushed whispers of last-minute touch-ups of girls and Katara stayed focus on the door. They opened to...an empty room. Katara let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

She found her seat, between Yue and Tapeesa. Her leg bounced anxiously, her worry not gone.

"I didn't think you'd be nervous, Katara," Yue turned a concerned eye toward her. She'd told Yue that she wasn't here for the prince the first day.

"I've decided to take this a little more seriously," Katara said, which wasn't untrue. She had to stay here at least three weeks, but more would help her tribe. Yue gave her a kind smile.

"I'm glad to hear. I had hoped we'd be in this together. All us Water Tribe women. There aren't many." She said quietly.

"That makes us more likely to win. You can get a Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom girl anywhere," Kilee pointed out from beside Yue's left.

"We are special," Tapeesa agreed, "Unique."

Exotic, is what she'd been called by one of the advisors, Katara recalled, but she didn't say that.

The doors to the left opened and it was so quiet one could hear a mouse if there was one in the room. Katara felt physically ill when the person that entered was the face she'd seen in the garden yesterday. He was dressed much more regally now, and when he opened his mouth to speak it wasn't the rough way he'd been last night, but as though he'd been trained in speech his whole life.

Katara had knocked the Prince off a roof and froze him to a tree. She was so dead.

"Welcome ladies, I am so looking forward to getting to know each of you. As you've been told, we will have a meeting over here before breakfast begins, so I know the lovely faces that will look back at me in the days to come. Shall we begin with you?" He stretches out a poised hand to the first seat, a quiet girl named On Ji, and she follows him over to a couch in the other corner of the room.

Katara's hands are so busy playing with that top-knot that she pricks herself with a corner and has to quietly suck the bead of blood and try not to draw attention to herself.

She can't believe this.

A flood of reporters is bouncing around the room, asking questions to the girls and scribbling away. There does seem to be a main one, one that is delegating and consolidating notes, and he nods to the Prince as though friends, but Katara notices this and forgets it almost immediately. She's far too preoccupied with trying to figure out a way to explain to her family how it is she's failed so miserably in less than a day of the Choice starting.

The reporters seem to be there to keep the girl's mind off their impending meeting with the Prince or keep them busy afterward. Katara can't stop looking over at the Prince, and she fears girls may be reading all the wrong reasons off it. Zuko hasn't even glanced her way once, and she feels if she were attacked last night by a crazy dude, she'd be staring at them.

But then again, he seems much more regal and trained than she is.

"Princess Katara!" One of the reporters has made their way to her. Katara doesn't correct her; there's no use, she's decided.

"Hello." She says, trying to give a demure smile. She thinks she's failing. She didn't even know that word-demure- until she heard one of the other girls say it today.

"You are the only contestant from the Southern Water Tribe here. Care to comment on this?"

"Well, we don't usually participate...but I'm glad to be here!" Katara is going to try to keep this as honest as possible, even if she's bending it a little bit. Her answer pleases the reporter so she knows she hasn't messed up too badly yet.

"Things are different over there, are they not? Waterbender women can fight, instead of just healing."

"Indeed it is. I was taught both and I think it makes me a well-rounded person. You have to know when to draw blood and when to heal blood." She said a phrase her mother taught her, despite not being a waterbender. It's always stuck with Katara, though.

The rest of the questions are predictable, and Katara flies through them with ease. It's simpler than she thought this would be and the reporter never seems to give an indication that Katara is so much more under-qualified than the other girls.

It's not long after the reporter leaves that the Fire Nation girls are sitting all down and it's Tapeesa's turn to go. Katara watches her and thinks she's pretty in this moment. She doesn't seem nervous; in fact, if she is, Katara hasn't been able to tell. She seems like perfect royal material actually, the way she bows to him and smooths her dress over her knees as she laughs at something he says. Katara hasn't focused on her much, but now that she's watching the pair converse, she thinks Tapeesa would make a good Fire Lady. She has the poise of Yue, the wit of Katara, and as far as Katara can tell she isn't filled with air in her head...something Prince Zuko seemed appreciate of last night.

Zuko is smiling when he dismisses her and calls Katara's name as though it's his first time meeting her like most everyone else. In fact, there's no indication that they had their meeting in the garden last night...except for the faint smirk on his face. That arrogant little smirk; yes, he knows.

When they're sitting down and the focus isn't on them as much, everyone's back to talking to reporters or fixing their hair, Katara is still gawking.

"So you really didn't believe me, eh?" Gone is his regal sounding voice and back in the voice he used last night. Katara is almost sure he doesn't use this with anyone else because she heard another girl gushing to their friend in the chairs about his smooth voice.

"Oh, my...great tu...I...I froze you to a tree!" Katara managed to sputter.

"Quite impressive," He said, nodding, holding out his hand, "My father asked where my hairpin was today. Even if my hair isn't long enough to wear it, I have to have it on me at all times." His eyes glimmer with mirth so he isn't mad. Katara puts it next to him in a quiet motion, trying not to draw attention. People may get the wrong idea or some sort.

"You know, I thought about it, and yes...I suppose I did look like a burglar," He said after a moment.

"You sure did," Katara snorted, forgetting her absolute embarrassment for a second.

"Your reflexes are impressive. Do you waterbend often?"

"As often as I can. I take it seriously."

"Well, I like hearing that. Perhaps we could spar one day."

Katara blinked in shock, "You'd go up against me?"

"Worried you'd lose?" He asked.

"No, worried I'd show you up," Katara said, grinning, and when he laughed in response she was pleased she hadn't offended him. She wasn't used to watching her words.

"Well, I'd like to see you try...although I'm pretty sure I'm going to bruise from, you know, being knocked off a roof." He said, rubbing his side and wincing. He turned his eyes toward Katara and she could tell he was flirting with her a little. She felt weird about that and looked away.

"I do apologize for that," Katara said quietly. There was a long moment before Katara let out a long sigh, "Can I be honest? I can't be dishonest, I hate that. I'm not really here to win your heart." She said.

"What?" This seemed to throw him off guard completely. Katara mentally hit herself. She really couldn't believe she'd just said that.

"Yeah, well, I'm here...I'm here as an honor to my tribe."

Something changed in Zuko's eyes and he nodded hard, "I appreciate honor above much else. I hope it is not something...bad. Like to overthrow me or something," There was still that teasing tone, but underneath she understood his concerns.

"No! Of course not," She rushed, "I just...my tribe needs the provisions. I know that sounds utterly selfish of me to admit that I'm here for my own good and not yours, but there it is." He was quiet so Katara kept talking, unable to stop herself, "But I thought maybe you'd...like that."

"I don't think it's selfish what you're doing. Unexpected, since every other girl here is looking at me like they want to jump me right now and marry me today, but refreshingly honest and upstanding. You are quite an unexpected girl. But, I'm interested in why you think I would like this, as you say?"

"Well, you don't have to worry about wooing me or really getting to know me, since I'm not here to marry you. I'm the contestant you don't have to devote effort to, you know. I'm sure I can be useful to you other was. A friend."

"Do you often make friends by nearly breaking their ribs and accusing them of being thieves?" Zuko raised his one good eyebrow.

"You'd be surprised," Katara muttered, her cheeks flushing a moment. Zuko drummed his fingers on his knees.

"Well, maybe so…" He said after a moment, "I would like to get to know you, as a friend and a possible sparring partner, but I am...concerned. Not with you, but of the other girls here. I feel as though all of them are merely putting up masks for me and will act differently when I'm not around. If there were someone who could see them all the time…" He trailed off, looking at Katara.

"We were told if anyone of us sabotages another's chance we'd be thrown out, or worse!" Katara hissed, wondering if this was a test.

"Well, I do believe it's at the Prince's discretion, and I have more power in this than anyone else...even the Fire Lord can't make you leave if I don't want you to. You'd really be doing me a favor. You came to me with honesty and I'd rather hoped you'd continue it. And if you're really worried, just, I dunno...we can make a...a...signal when one of the girls I'm with isn't who they seem to be." He said.

"I don't know...can I think about it?" She said unsurely.

"It is a bit to ask, I guess. And it's not like I have to choose who I'm marrying right now. We will talk about it the next time we're alone, then." He said and stood, indicating their time was nearly up, "Katara...what an interesting girl, you are."

Those were his final words, one Katara wasn't sure how to respond with. Yue was next and Katara gave her a small smile as they passed each other. When she returned, the other Water Tribe girls grilled her about her time and Katara made up that they merely talked about food the whole time, unwilling to say much else.

By the time that Zuko was finished, Katara's stomach had been growling for a very long time. She wished she'd known it would be hours before breakfast. He stood and Zhi stood and so did all the girls.

"Go through these doors for a feast, no interviewers or cameras- just my family and food. If I asked you to stay behind, please do." He said. As Katara headed toward the door, she turned to notice Tapeesa staying behind.

"No way, lucky!" Kilee whispered and Tapeesa just gave her friends a wave and a happy giggle. Katara wondered what secret thing Zuko was asking them to do. It was clear who his favorites were already. Strangely, Mai was not among them.

In the dining room, Zhi and Wei sat down. Also sitting at the table, at the head was the Fire Lord and Lady- Zuko's parents. To their right was an empty seat and then a girl that looked about Katara's age. She recalled Yue had said Zuko had a sister. Mai and Ty Lee sat next to her. On the other side was an older plumper man drinking tea- Zuko's grandfather perhaps? Next to him was a moderately handsome man who was likely in his thirties or so. She wasn't sure of his relation.

Katara sat in the middle of the table, her mouth watering.

"You can eat, Zuko will join us momentarily," Zhi said and everyone reached forward and the sound of tinkling silverware and glasses filled the room. Katara wanted to use her hands to shovel as much as she could into her face but used her chopsticks or spoon like a proper lady.

After about five minutes, Zuko returned...without the eight girls he'd asked to stay behind. Katara waited for them to reappear, but they didn't.

"Where are the girls that he asked to stay behind?" Katara asked out loud, worry creasing her forehead for Tapeesa. She'd actually grown to like these Water Tribe girls.

"Gone, obviously. Caput. Out of the game." A particularly prickly girl named June said and Katara felt a cold chill run down her spine. Just like that, eight gone. She wondered what they'd done to make Zuko eliminate them right away? But, at the same time, she couldn't imagine the immense amount of pressure he felt to have to make such decisions.

She thought about what he'd asked. It didn't seem all that big of a deal now. He was going to marry one of these girls one day and Katara didn't dislike him. He seemed decent and nice enough. He should be with a nice girl, and even Mai looked nice when she was talking to Zuko. He deserved to know if a girl wasn't what she seemed to be around him. If that kept her in good fortune with him, it seemed like a small fee. She also could help her friends like Yue get closer to being his wife. ANd when she thought about it logically, it hardly seemed wrong. In fact, it seemed quite right.

Hunger numbed her other senses during the meal, although she did hear Zuko speak up a couple times to tell his father or mother about one of the girls, pointing them out by name. Katara, by the fourth or fifth time he did this, charted the response and him. Everyone looked at the girl he was talking about- this time that the most scandalously dressed one June apparently could find anything in the world. She preened at his praise while all the other girls threw dagger glares at her. June explained that it was her shirshu more so than her, but they were a team and that she was sad to have to leave him behind. Zuko's response was immediately to have him be brought here, as they hosted many animals already on the palace grounds. Her smile was genuine at the thought of seeing her pet and Katara saw the relieved smile on his face. This conversation was a carefully crafted play he had to juggle. He couldn't make any comment seem to forward or promising and the way most of the girls answered him with breathy sighs made it difficult enough. It was a difficult balance, one Katara was sure he'd been thoroughly schooled on.

The way he talked though; he seemed nervous and off-put. She doubted any of the other girls noticed at all. But in that moment Katara had to wonder if Zuko even wanted to get married? Or was he being forced to go through this just like she was? And even if he did want to find someone, Katara was sure he didn't want these overly excited girls. He was risking more than any individual here...if he chooses wrong, it would be really bad.

"Katara," He said finally, and Katara's head jerked up so fast it hurt her neck. She had been in the middle of slurping down some oats and almost used the back of her hand to wipe it off until Yue nudged her and patted the napkin. Katara dabbed the oats away like a lady.

"And Katara is the first Southern Water Tribe contestant in eons to be here, you know?" Zuko continued, sending Katara a pleading smile. When he talked about her, she noticed he seemed so much less nervous. Why would he have reason to be so, though? They understood each other, knew exactly where the other stood in their 'relationship'. He didn't have to watch his words or play a political game with her. So, while she didn't like to be singled out- for everyone was now glaring at her, sans Yue and Toph, she realized this was part of being his friend.

"Yes," Ozai drawled, staring at Katara as though only seeing her for the first time, "Our little Southern Princess." While most said 'Princess' with undue respect, Katara knew when she was being made fun of. She raised her head, focusing in on the Fire Lord with a steady sigh. A part of her wanted to spit back at him, but a more logical part told her that this was someone who she didn't want to upset, even if he was attempting to get a rise from her. Zuko claimed he could keep her in, but she didn't want to fight his father every step of the way. She saw Zuko stiffen, sending a covertly angry look at his father. Of course, there was no time for him to share who he liked best or not, but he still seemed upset by his comment. The rest of the table fell silent.

She saw the one she thought maybe was Zuko's grandfather frown deeply at the Fire Lord too, and Katara felt warmed by his small motion, even if it was not directed at her.

"She is a princess, though, Uncle." The man next to Iroh said firmly, "More than some of these people here," He added quietly, though Katara and others heard. She saw a few angry glares, as though she someone had control over her status.

"Are there even enough people to govern, to be a princess to? Or do you all just wait for signs from the moon?" He asked unkindly. Katara steadied herself, putting her fingers beneath the table so he couldn't see how hard she was squeezing her fists.

"Our relationship with the moon is a sacred tradition, one that shouldn't be taken so lightly. Is it so different from the gods you too worship? The dragons that taught you your skills? And in response, yes, I am a leader of a great many people. While it is not as large as your own city here, we still have our own unique trials and problems that a person in charge overseas. We may not be quite as distant from our followers, but I hardly see how that's a disadvantage." She spoke her words carefully, trying to emulate the sternness of her father and the unyielding logic her mother wielded, along with Sokka's courage. Her answer had a great number of mixed responses; most of the girls looked unsure of how to respond. Yue and the other watertribe woman held back smiles. Toph almost grinned. June snorted behind her hand. As for the Royal Family, Zuko was beaming, which was odd to see. The Fire Lord and Zuko's sister both looked as though they'd sucked on something sour. The Fire Lady looked impassive, the grandfather looked pleased, and the cousin looked amused.

"Well," Ozai said after a long moment, "Aren't you articulate."

"What does he think she was? Stupid?" Eva whispered under her breath to Yue, and Katara had the feeling that they were feeling the offense too since they were not too far from Katara's own life.

"I try," Katara said simply in response to Ozai's comment, and made a point to go back to her breakfast. Zuko broke the silence by shifting his father's attention to a girl named Caecilia, commenting how she was distantly related to the throne. Katara felt her body quiver and fall all at once when she was sure Ozai wasn't looking. Under the table, Saoirse patted her leg comfortingly.

"I wouldn't have had the guts to say anything," She whispered, "You're incredible, Katara."

Katara didn't find time to focus on anything else during breakfast other than eating and trying not to cry. That, she found utterly ridiculous. She didn't cry about stupid things like this. When she'd been play fighting with Sokka and the other boys and fallen so hard her bone cracked through her skin, she hadn't cried. When she forgot her gloves and her fingers nearly froze but she had to hunt for her tribe, she didn't cry. When her grandfather passed away she didn't cry. She wasn't sure why her emotions were all over the place here, or why this was doing this to her. She wasn't even upset!

They were escorted from the dining hall, all curtsying and leaving the royal family alone again.

"Good job, ladies! You have made it through today, at least," Zhi said, "Now, that will be all for the moment." There were many groans of disappointment at the prospect of not seeing the prince for the rest of the day.

"Cheer up," Zhi said curtly, "Often, after this first meal, he will come and ask a girl or two for individual-," the rest of her commented was completely drowned out with the squeals of overly excited females that were just dying at the idea of spending alone time with the Prince. Katara felt a little numb and glad to be back in the safety of her room.

"Don't you want to come to the room with us?" Yue asked when Katara made a motion for her room.

"I think I just need a moment or two to myself," Katara said quietly, trying to collect herself.

"I see," Yue's eyebrows pulled together, "If you need anything, I'm here Katara. The Fire Lord, and I shouldn't be saying this, but he was quite unkind today."

"I'm fine," Katara lied, "I just want to write to my family in private." When Yue didn't move, Katara added, "I'll be out later." This seemed to be acceptable, and she left with the others to one of the two meeting areas.

Katara went into her room and just curled up on the bed.

Her mind was whirling. Could she really stay here with a man that, already, so clearly disliked her? When he was, in fact, the most important person around? Was the effort wroth-yes...it was worth it. She answered before the thought was finished.

The rest of the time in her room she went through possible ways to avoid the Fire Lord or to please him. After about two hours, she realized that Yue was stubborn enough to come drag her out if she didn't go. She went, showered because that at least was another excuse, before dragging herself into the room. She saw Toph first and wanted to talk to her. She wondered what Toph's advice would be.

But, she went to where Yue was.

"You look better," Eva commented.

"It was a...morning," Katara said and all the other girls gave cooing noises of agreement.

"I'd heard the Fire Lord was a cruel man, but I just thought, you know…" Kilee said, leaning in.

"Yeah, that it was our tribe talking and we lost the war and so that's what people said." Eva looked concerned, "Imagine having that as a father-in-law!"

"So, what, you're going to ask to leave? Because, you know, if so-," Saoirse began.

"No. I'm just saying that I hope the Prince isn't like that. He seems nice, but we've only known him for what...a couple minutes?"

Katara almost added that she thought him to be the opposite of his father, but then she would have to admit she almost killed him last night.

"Has he come to collect anyone?" Katara asked instead.

"No. I'm sure we'd hear if he did," Kilee said with a pout.

"He's a prince. I'm sure he's busy." Yue said.

"But this is the most important thing right now, isn't it?" Eva asked, "The Prince's Choice?"

Yue merely shrugged and went back to her reading. Katara took this opportunity to go over to the bookshelf. While she would have much preferred a good history book on war tactics or cultural information, these more female books would do for this afternoon.

Time passed and she skipped lunch, focused on her reading. The Fire Ladies of the Past was actually an enlightening read. Not because Katara was interested in how to become one, but because she wanted to know how a female was treated in this society.

"It's almost dinner, you hungry?" Eva tapped her shoulder. Katara looked up, shocked to see the darkening sky.

"Yeah, starved." Katara marked her book, putting it back on the shelf to return to it later, "I hardly noticed the time."

As the girls streamed into the hallway to go to the meal area, a pair of Fire Nation guards entered the hallway. Most girls stopped, curious, watching the metal men search the crowd.

"Princess Katara?" They called. Katara paused completely, as she hadn't before, and turned slowly. The girls seemed to part to reveal her.

"Yes?" She asked, stepping forward.

"The Prince requests you alone."

The whispers around the hall were deafening.

"You're so lucky!" Eva was close to tears, "Oh, tell me everything, will you?"

"Congrats, good job." Kilee was giving her a tight smile, trying to be courteous, but Katara could tell she was disappointed.

She had a few nasty looks from girls, one named Ratana looked like she was going to jump out and strangle her.

Katara was confused. Why did he want a meeting...with her?

Oh, she realized, about the friends' thing.

She wanted to assure these girls she was not their enemy for this title, but couldn't. Instead, she shrugged, nodded to the guards and let herself be escorted from the ladies area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is Katara's 'date' with Zuko :)
> 
> A couple of notes! They're all worth reading, I promise.
> 
> 1) I try to respond to every review I get. Some of you have blocked IM (because I don't want to bog down the upper A/N with all my responses so I can get to you formally) but I usually review after I post a chapter and therefore if I haven't answered a question and you have your messaging blocked, that's why. If you have a question and you are one of these people, just let me know in your review so I can answer next time or unblock that feature.
> 
> 2) I've gone and made doll pics for all the girls in the Choice. Even those that were just let go because, well, I like full sets. Besides, ya never know when one may pop up again. If you go to my tumblr (youngbloodlex22) tomorrow I should be posting those. You can follow me to never miss art updates for this, or any of my other, stories :)
> 
> 3) You guys are such good reviewers! Like, amazing. And, since I already update weekly, I still want there to be, well, an incentive for you all. In a perfect world, you all would just leave a review for the time and effort we put into it. I get it, though. I always try to review stories I like but I'll have the tab open, do something else, and completely forget to, even if I totally meant to leave on. So, if you review a story on ten chapters, I'll write you a drabble of any couple and theme you want. Of course, it would be best if it was a fandom I was in, but I'm pretty much willing to do even couples I don't ship. More info on that will come when we get closer to the 10th chapter. You don't have to review ten in order, but since we're only 4 in, it makes the most sense/is easiest to do. If you a guest, just put a 'name' in the review so I can keep track. And, I'd really like them to be more than just 'awesome, update soon'. If you're not sure what to review on because I get this quite a lot, here are my suggestions on things that will always make an author squeal with joy. You could do all or one of these if you're stuck!
> 
> a) Copy and paste your favorite line. Tell us why it's your favorite
> 
> b) describe the emotions you felt while you read
> 
> c) is there a character that's really annoying you? a character you love?
> 
> d) What was your favorite part?
> 
> e) predictions you have for the next chapter
> 
> f) Things maybe you'd like to see in the future (who knows? I've taken slight inspiration from stories before, or added things in if I'm suck! You may just see it happen!)
> 
> g) questions- whether it be on the story or about writing. I'm always willing to give some tips for new writers. But, if you do the latter, I'd also like just a comment about the story too, lol
> 
> So, I hope that helps all of you that never know what to say in reviews :)
> 
> See you all next Friday! This chapter was a little short, but I think the next one is for sure longer.


	5. Chapter 5

They took her through the maze of the halls until she reached a doorway where the Prince was standing.

"Princess," He greeted and she saw him wave away the guards. Immediately, his shoulders sagged and his face turned into something less constricted.

"Of course I will," Katara said, in regards to his proposition.

"...What?"

"To be...your...isn't that what this is about? I think it's the right thing to do." She said.

"Oh, yeah, that." Zuko turned a little red.

"It's not about that? Then why am I here?" She asked. Zuko opened the door to another garden. He didn't answer, but Katara took it as a sign to go through the door.

"This is my family's personal garden," He said. It was much more personalized than the lady's one. In the corner was a pond, which Zuko went straight for. Katara followed more hesitantly. From his pocket, Zuko unraveled some bread from a linen sack, tore some off, and threw it into the water.

A family of turtle-ducks swam up, happily diving for the bits of bread. Katara couldn't help but make a sound of glee.

"How adorable!" She said, grasping her heavy skirts so she could sit with him.

"My mom used to take me here. It's where I like to go to be alone." He admitted, "I just wanted to make sure that you're okay."

"Me?" Katara's throat went dry. It was such a kind gesture. She was touched since he had no reason to ask if he hadn't wanted to.

"My father was...he is…" Zuko struggled for words. Today, he'd seemed so put together. Now, alone, she realized he was a bit more awkward than she'd expected, "He had no right."

"I've been called worse," Katara admitted.

"By any of the girls here?" Zuko's eyes narrowed.

"Not yet. At least, not to my face." She said.

"Katara, we're safe here. The reporters can see us, but they're not allowed to enter. They can't hear what we're saying. If someone has...I wouldn't want that person as a wife." He said firmly.

Katara looked around and spotted a couple reporters lurking with quills and ink, outside the garden. She smirked to herself, Zuko was very thoughtful about this location.

"Really, they haven't." She felt her mind returning to the girls that were left behind today, "I have to say, I'm a little surprised you were able to just...cut eight off."

Zuko gave her half the bread so she could feed the turtle-ducks too. "My father suggested it. Thirty-five is a lot, and this is more manageable."

"So how did you know what you were looking for? How did you know who to cut?" She asked, genuinely curious.

"Uh, instinct?" Zuko winced, "I'm not sure. I mean, maybe I made a mistake, but it's done now. I guess anyone that seemed too meek I cut. I'm not just looking for a wife, but for a future Fire Lady. Someone who can't handle themselves won't do."

Katara understood why Tapeesa was cut. While she had all the looks on paper, she was a follower, a person beneath the surface. Katara wouldn't have thought of that.

"If we weren't friends," Zuko's lips curled up when she used that word, "Would you have cut me? Be honest." she said.

"No. You're far too powerful to consider cutting," Zuko answered immediately and she did feel it was the truth, not to make her feel better.

"What do you think of Toph?" Katara asked. Toph's blind other self was sure meek. But she was still here...maybe Toph showed him who she really was?

Instead, Zuko covered his face with his fingers, "I'm awful, really, but spirits how could I cut a blind girl?" He asked his voice muffled.

Katara laughed, "You know, I think she's not who you think she is." It was a little selfish. Toph didn't want to be here, but Katara wanted her here.

"You think?" Zuko said, "I'm trusting your opinion."  
"I do think." Katara nodded twice, "I've talked to her. She's...well, she's not as helpless as you think. And maybe...she's feeling a little stifled? I mean, she was given a lot of independence back home and I know you're all worried because she's blind but she wouldn't have made it to sixteen if she wasn't sure how handle herself, would she? And, it would give you a chance to know her better."

"The guides are being that overbearing?" Zuko seemed shocked. Katara let out a hum from the back of her throat. She would help her friend how she could, "I will diminish their presence at once. Only when she's out at galas will she have one. I suppose you're right...she has to be self-sufficient by now."

There was a pause, "Any other things you've noticed about girls...good or bad?"

"Nothing yet," Katara admitted, "But, spirits, I have to ask. Mai?"

Zuko let out a laugh that was almost endearing, "Mai, what to say about her?"

"Some girls think this whole thing is necessary. You're just going to pick her anyway, they say." Katara repeat back some of the gossips.

"Nothing is a done deal." Zuko said firmly, "Tell them that. I'm here fairly. I mean, yeah...I know Mai, just like I know Ty Lee. We were friends as kids, as there wasn't a ton of boys my age that were appropriate to be around. I think she had a crush on me, but nothing ever happened. To be honest, I had thought maybe she'd be how you are...a friend here. But she let me know quite early on she was here for the competition…" Zuko's face morphed into a scowl, "That hurt, a little." His admission was so quiet, Katara nearly missed it. She understood that he was a deeply emotional boy, something she wasn't used to seeing. But, he only let it out in small doses. He seemed to trust her implicitly at the moment, and Katra felt...gods, sorry for him. She imagined how taxing this competition was, how important it was, and that he just wanted a friend, any friend, his desperation…

Well, she was going to be a godman good friend, personal aspirations or not.

"She just seems, moody. And a little scary." Katara winced, recalling her knives.

"She's talented beyond compare for a non-bender. And in moments, she's not just gloom. She cares deeply for her friends, to the point of loyalty even I'd say is hard for me to do. She loves her baby brother like no one else. She'd be a model Fire Lady, but I don't want to think that there might not be someone else out there, someone better."

"You're pretty wise." Katara clicked her tongue, "These girls just fawn and die over you."

"Unfortunately," Zuko winced, "A lot of times, I'd think I wouldn't get a single girl looking at me if I weren't a prince."

"Nonsense. You're handsome," Katara said offhand.

Zuko's eyes glimmered playfully, "Really?"

"Oh, come on. I'm not suddenly going to fall for you. I'm just saying, I think you give yourself too little credit." Katara said matter-of-factly.

"Guess that makes me feel better. At least they're also using me for my looks," He joked. Katara couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up, as inappropriate as it might have been.

"Katara, honestly, who would you have me pick...if you got to choose?"

"I can't say. It's only been a couple days." Katara rolled her eyes, "I've hardly talked to half the girls. I'm used to fighting, not chit-chatting."

"Gut feeling," Zuko pressed.

Katara shrugged, "I like Yue."

Zuko considered this. He laid back in the grass, hands behind his head, "I like her too." He said although Katara wasn't sure what to make of it. How much? What level? Like, as in she was agreeable or like as in he was already getting a crush?

Katara's stomach growled loudly and in a very un-ladylike way. Zuko's eyes flickered to her.

"Have you not eaten?"

"Well, you sorta interrupted my dinner." Katara flicked some water at him, "Jerk." For a second, she wondered if she'd gone too far and they weren't at that point where she could insult him yet. Instead, he shook his head at her, rolling his eyes.

"Look, I didn't know. I'll have the guards bring something out."

Before she could protest, he'd gotten up and she spun to see him speaking to the guard posted at the doors. It seemed like literally no time at all that he was bringing back two plates to her.

"I haven't eaten either."

"I imagine you'd maybe want to pick another girl for a secret meeting," Katara said, raising an eyebrow.

"Should I…?"

"You have no idea what you're doing, do you. Have you ever had a girlfriend before?" Zuko's silence answered. Who knew the Prince wasn't a suave as everyone thought he was.

"You're probably right," Zuko winced, "I hadn't considered...mhh." He seemed to be internalizing her comment. Katara, completely famished and almost ready to eat the duck bread, pulled off the lid. An unfamiliar noodle dish greeted her.

"Never seen Fire Nation noodles?" Zuko asked, reading her face.

"Not really. First time for everything, I suppose," Katara said goodnaturedly, picking up her chopsticks. She had hardly swallowed the first bite when her tongue seemed to explode with fire. She sputtered, flicking her wrist to funnel water into her mouth.

"Spirits, do you guys use literal flames on these?" She asked.

"I forgot that Water Tribes don't use much spice. This is pretty mild to some," Zuko said, eating as though he couldn't taste the heat, "Sorry," He said, but he seemed between laughter and an apology.

"You know what? Too hungry to care." Katara ignored the burn and continued eating.

"You are...totally unlike any other girl," Zuko said in mild awe.

"To be honest, I don't dislike being a girl, but being with the guys was how I grew up in my tribe. I even wore pants."

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Pants, females, Fire Nation?" Zuko chuckled, "How absurd."

"Yeah, figured." Katara had only seen flouncy dresses, "It's probably time to be getting back. Or else they might wonder what we're up to."

"What would we be up to?" Zuko tilted his head.

"Zuko," Katara shook her head, "Sexual things."

Zuko jumped back, "What?" He looked almost terrified.

"Zhi may have insinuated that the Prince could ask a girl for anything," She drew out 'anything' with enough innuendo so it was perfectly clear.

"Do they think I'm going to...because I'm not. Just not...arg." Zuko seemed completely flustered at the idea.

"It's your game, Zuko. You don't have to do anything you don't want to." She said and he seemed to relax.

"Yeah," He frowned, "I'm a Prince. Which, by the way, when we're not here or other places I will tell you are safe, you should call me Prince Zuko. I don't mind dropping it around this, but…"

"I know. I'm playing the game too." She got up, brushing off her skirts.

"I had fun. We had fun, or, did you not-,"

"No, it was fun. Enlightening too," Katara added, thinking of the information she'd gathered, "Let's do it again. But not too soon. Don't want girls murdering me in my sleep," At Zuko's hardened expression she added, "Joke. Totally joking. Sorta. You should try to ask other girls out. Get to know them too."

"You're likely right," Zuko agreed, "I wish I could have you as my advisor all the time instead of a contestant," He moaned, "I'm hopeless."

"You'll get there," Katara said. She wasn't sure he would, but hey, she had to give him some hope.

At the gates, where guards were waiting to escort her back, she could tell Zuko wasn't sure how to say goodbye. To hug? To kiss her hand? He settled for a strange pat on her shoulder, and Katara nodded back.

"Uh, have a good night." He said and she wished him the same.

The halls were empty when she returned. She quickly closed her door behind her to her room, glad she wasn't expected to be in the woman's area. To be honest, the last thing she wanted to do was fake the contents of the meeting with eager girls.

She instead decided to journal her experience. Her mother and father both kept one. While she wasn't going to squee about the Prince, talk about how their 'eyes met across the room' or when he touched her 'she felt the stars' or silly notions like that, but rather, she would come at this very scientifically. Now that the Southern Water Tribe was returned into the fold, she knew they wouldn't be getting out of it. Maybe in twenty or thirty years from now, young girls from her tribe would be picked. She could give them this notebook so they knew what was going to happen, unlike her. Also, it would be worth her while to note things about the Fire Nation, since her tribe knew so little.

The sky darkened outside her. She heard footsteps of the girls returning from where they'd been, talking and the bathroom doors shutting and opening. She had a couple knocks on her door, but she just ignored them. She would tell the girls she'd fallen asleep, tomorrow.

She was so engrossed with all the things she'd noted about her experience so far she hardly heard the door open until a shadow passed over her writing.

"Toph! Spirits, what are you doing here?" Katara nearly jumped out of her chair.

"It's incredible, Katara! For some reason, my guide was told to get lost. I mean, she's still around, but she's not leaning over me every second of every day. I'm freaking free!"

Katara grinned. Inwardly, she wasn't sure that Zuko would do anything, or even remember, "I happened to mention to Prince Zuko you were probably a little more competent than they give you credit for."

Toph's milky eyes widened, "You...did?" There was a shocked tone, something hard to pick up, "I mean, cool, thanks, you know."

Katara got the feeling she didn't like showing emotion, "Yeah, I mean, we're friends, eh?"

"Of course." Toph punched Katara's arm. Damn, that really hurt, "And, speaking of, how was your kissy-make-out-session with the Prince. Was he dreamy?" She asked in a mock girly voice, "Does he know, by the way, that he won't be getting into your pants because you're not here for that?" She added.

Katara floundered. She'd grown up around boys, so she wasn't new to crass talk. But, to hear it so casually from the mouth of an unassuming sixteen-year-old was just...unnerving, "I don't think he's trying to get into anyone's pants." Katara finally said.

Toph, who had been examining a perfume Rini got for Katara, dropped it in shock, "He's gay?" She blurted. Katara quickly shot a ball of water at the perfume, setting it down gently in the puddle so it didn't crash into a million pieces. The floor was very wet now, but not as bad as it could be.

"No," Katara shook her head, which she realized was a moot motion. She hadn't gotten that sort of vibe from him, "I think he's just too nice. I mean, I'm sure he's thinking about it, but…" Katara sighed, "He's the type where I don't think he'd do anything with anyone unless there was a genuine love connection. A kiss or two, mayyyybe, but nothing like what you're thinking."

"Well," Toph said, unfazed, "Fedelia is going to be upset to hear that. Her whole master plan was to sleep with him, because that's totally what everything thought you two were doing, and she'll get pregnant though I don't know how and she'll win by default."

Katara frowned. She'd have to tell Zuko about this girl because she sounded crazy and unhinged if that was her plan. Plus, she imagined Zuko's face as she tried to come on to her if he wasn't aware. His awkwardness almost made her chuckle, but she also felt bad that he could be in such a weird position anyway.

"Anyway," Toph continued, fingers tapping over all Katara's items, "I've found some other like-minded girls. Suki is a Kyoshi Warrior. Totally badass, if you don't know what those are," Katara didn't, 'She seems nice. I think she's here for the title, but she's not gross about it. And then there's Smellerbee-,"

"Who?" Katara interrupted, tilting her head.

"Mousy one. Shit, what's her real name? B...Besu!"

A small, quiet girl with hair that looked like a helmet entered Katara's mind. At first meeting, she'd thought it was a male until she recalled it was only girls here.

"Smellerbee…" Katara echoed.

"She's from the Earth Kingdom, like me." Toph pointed to herself, as though Katara didn't know, "We talked, a bit. I can tell she's plucky. I don't know. I just like her."

Katara hummed in quiet thought. She wanted to trust Toph's instincts, of course. Toph shuffled back over to the door.

"Just wanted to share the good news. Hopefully, you can try talking to Smellerbee and Suki too. I think you'll like 'em." Toph said, climbing over the fence, "Night, Princess." She teased.

Katara rolled her eyes. She continued journaling. When she was done, she began to make a list of what she thought of girls so far. Who she'd suggest to Zuko to try to get to know better, that is.

The fire nation girls all had an edge to them, a confidence from being in their home territory. They were the victors in comparison to the other nations and thusly they had reason to feel superior. She could see some girls seemed nice, but she didn't have a good feel for any of them, not quite yet.

The twins, Alcina and Dahkiya were always at each other's side. Their faces looked identical, it was just their eyes and their hair that set them apart. They often finished each other sentences. Katara wondered how their family had been so lucky to get two girls in the competition. She wondered who wanted to win more?

Avizeh she hasn't gotten much of a chance to suss out yet, other than that Katara noticed her quiet ways and dainty fingers.

Ratana is a spitfire; she hides behind a well-practiced facade most of the time, but Katara has heard her bite as sharp as fire directed at a girl who said something stupid. Katara can appreciate that, although she thinks sometimes Ratana doesn't know when to be quiet.

Caecillia's ginger hair is the color of fire, so she stands out to Katara, whose entire life is just brown hair and brown skin and sometimes brown eyes. She apparently has a faint, very distant line to the throne, way before Sozin was even Fire Lord. This could either work in her favor or against her; Katara's never heard of cousins marrying into each other here, although Cillia is probably far enough away that it wouldn't even matter.

Saya is likable, from what Katara can see. She isn't the most outgoing nor the least. If Katara would rate her, she'd be smack-dab in the middle. Average in every way. But, at least she's not mean or petty. Katara rates her higher because of that.

Maiha giggles...a lot. Even though she's as old as Katara, she reminds Katara greatly of the young pre-teen girls in her tribe, the ones that gawk at her brother when he's shirtless and training and blush anytime they're in his vicinity. Every interaction that Zuko has had with her, so far, she's responded in a mixture of snorts, giggles, and nervous replies.

Bharvari is terrifying in the way that Azula is terrifying but without the power. Katara knows her father is something important, but what, she's not sure. Bharvari is clearly here not to make friends, but to win. She hasn't heard an unkind thing directly from Bharvari's mouth; no, the girl is careful to gild her words in gold and smiles while stabbing you in the back at the same time.

On Ji reminds Katara of Yue, but without the title. Katar is glad to see that some good people have made it in, people that seem to truly want to be a better ruler than the ones before them and birth even better rulers to take their place. But, Katara hasn't had time to talk to her, so she might just be quiet.

Ty Lee is the one that Katara is unsure what to write. She's bubbly, gregarious, and flirty in a way that Katara wouldn't dare to be so openly. At this point, although her best friend is sullen Mai, she's begun to talk to other girls from other nations. She talked to Saoise today and Katara recalled the look of confusion on Saoise's face. She hasn't talked to Katara yet, so Katara can't read her intentions. She seems nice and wanting to make friends, but if Katara were here as a contender, she may just make a point to see who the competition is.

And the last of the Fire Nation girls...Mai. Katara is truly stupified as to why she's been kept in. She wonders if Zuko is holding on to something, nostalgic instead of proactive. Because, well, Mai is pretty if you like things like rain ruining your day. And Mai isn't winning any points in the personality department, that's for sure. If Zuko needs a personable wife, Katara can't think of a worse choice. At least girls like Bharvari have some semblance of a personality, as sour as it might be. Katara is really unsure of what to make about Mai still remaining. She hopes Zuko is just using her as a safety measure but once he gets to know some other girls, he'll release her.

The Earth Kingdom girls outnumbered any other group, and since they were the biggest providence, it made sense. At least, since Zuko culled eight girls, they've become the biggest.

Nadhari Katara immediately does not like. She fins her whiney and petulant, the type that was born lucky and blessed and has never taken a moment to wonder where it came from or thank those that gave it to her. She is, unfortunately, skilled in the things a 'lady' should be skilled in. In just a few days, Katara has seen her work on more types of embroidery and sewing and reading than Yue, which to Katara, is a feat.

Ishwa Katara may learn to like since she keeps her hair in a bun that gives the effect it's much shorter and has been tying her skirts together to make something like pants when Zhi isn't around.

Andica seems far too young and naive to be in this, since even Toph has some idea of the world, even being just merely 16. Andica, however, seems more like a child and Katara thinks she won't last long anyway.

Anaselma seems fierce. It's something about a fire in her eyes that Katara recognizes. She's fighting for something, but Katara isn't sure what. It's respectable, though, since Katara knows that feeling of pushing more and more.

Fidelia had left a sour taste on Katara's tongue even before Toph let Katara know the girl's plans. Fidelia always seemed to be carrying around a small mirror and frankly seemed much too interested in her reflection and her appearance. If she maybe put it down, Katara mused, she might find worth enough to think she- as a person- could marry the prince. Although Katara finds her plan deplorable, the mothering and caring part of Katara feels sorry for her. It must be awful to think so lowly and dull of yourself that the only way to win is by cheating and trapping.

There's Toph, next, which Katara writes nothing down about. First, she knows Toph. Second, what would she even write about Toph? Toph seems...unquantifiable.

Suki reminds Katara of herself, in the fact that she's taken a very leading role in the room. She helps the younger girls with a grace and kindness that a person who has had this responsibility before would understand. Katara knows she isn't from a noble house, but it's clear she's been in charge of a group. Katara reminds herself that Toph likes her, so she makes a star net to Suki so she can remember to watch her.

Besu, or Smellerbee- and what an unfortunate name at that- Katara thinks won't last long either. Not to say that Zuko is looking for beauty, but she does resemble a ten-year-old boy over a sixteen-year-old girl. Katara's been forced into makeup and dresses and Besu seems like that type that would hate a life like that.

Jin is somewhat like On Ji. Her thoughts are similar.

June is the eldest contestant, although not terribly older than Zuko. She's so...interesting. She has stories for days about her years as a bounty hunter. She's, at the least, an engaging person to keep around. Katara thinks Zuko may never be bored with her.

She had a connection with all of the Water Tribe girls, even though she thought she wouldn't have liked them at first. She wanted to protect them, she wanted her sister tribe members to succeed. But, the only one she could imagine Zuko marrying right now was Yue. She imagined a world where maybe one of them married him, with a little guidance from her. Eva was the least likely candidate because she was just so soft spoken. Kilee was a little over-enthusiastic, which was fine in the presence of friends. Saoirse was the next most likely girl, behind Yue. She just wasn't a princess like Yue was, however, which had to be a driving force. She couldn't imagine that Zuko's father wasn't encouraging him to go for the nobility here.

She put down her ink and closed the journal. She laid on her bed and replayed the afternoon she'd spent with him. It wasn't out of some girly fantasy, but rather, she was considering it all. They'd slipped into friends so easily it almost scared Katara. She wasn't going to be mean, but he had expected a little more decorum on his end, that it might be a few weeks before they got here.

Maybe he was just lonely. Azula seemed...awful. At least she'd always had Sokka. She hadn't been around the castle, so she couldn't say if there were other men around for him to play with, but she knew just being the chief's daughter had left her alienated as a child. No one wanted to break rules around her or play fight with the fear Hakoda would hear about it. She had Sokka, always, and they got into trouble all the time. It was at this moment she realized how badly she missed her brother.

Maybe Azula was only horrible of late? Maybe they were friends as children? But even to have no one now must be a sad existence. He was even more important than Katara had ever been, his nation was large and filled with people and problems Katara couldn't even begin to imagine. Plus, his father was terrifying. At least Hakoda had always been the uncle of the tribe, not your father but still caring for you. Ozai someone Katara was sure felt little warm fuzzies to anyone.

So to imagine Zuko all alone, the heir apparent, made a little more sense. No matter, this couldn't have worked out better for Katara. He'd keep her safe in the competition until she could leave with provisions galore. And, though she didn't want to get attached, she had rather enjoyed their day. No illusions, no pretending, just two friends not concerned about the fact that one was a boy and one was a girl. It was refreshing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some notes!  
> 1) Gave Smellerbee a name, cuz I couldn't imagine she'd go in AS Smellerbee. It's completely made up, non-canon.
> 
> 2) This is sort of a filler chapter that's the last of the 'groundwork' chapters, I'd say. After this, the plot gets moving...real fast. I know that the list of girls is a lot to read but I once again wanted you guys to have a 'clear' pic of what they were like
> 
> 3) If you want to SEE what they look like, go to my art tumblr (youngbloodlex22) because I uploaded a group of them there. Or, the girls that are remaining. I do plan on doing the eight that were eliminated because you never know when they may pop up again!
> 
> 4) On the topic of art, one reviewer said they wanted to do a pic of this story later on and if you do I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER. I will reblog/refer the shit out of you and sing your praises for all eternity.
> 
> 5) Another reviewer mentioned I had errors, like grammar/spelling. Yeah. I suck at those, even with proof-reading and all. So, if anyone's looking to be a beta for this story, just let me know!
> 
> Remember, leave ten reviews (of some substance) get a drabble! But, I hope you also are reviewing because well, you like this story and want to. But I get that sometimes we need a little motivation.
> 
> Big plans tonight for me. It's my 6th anniversary of dating my bf, so I'll be out and about most of the night. And then tomorrow, one of my shows come back on- The Walking Dead. Anyone else watch it? I have lots of mixed feelings, but overall I still can enjoy it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (If I were naming chapters, this one would be called 'ACTION! PLOT LINES')

The next morning, Katara went to breakfast in the ladies area. The affair was quiet. She could see girls casting careful glances at her, trying to suss her out. Katara ate trying to ignore them, focusing on the delicious pastries that had been put out. Fruit was rare down at her end of the world, and the treat in her hand was flaky and bitter and stained her fingertips. But it was wonderful, she decided.

Toph was shifting her head from girl to girl, frowning. Katara dropped her utensil onto the ground on purpose, and when she put her head under the table, she saw Toph's toes tapping the ground. Ah, she'd cut out the soles of her slippers. If what Toph said was true, she could absolutely see the glances the girls were giving Katara while trying not to be obvious.

Toph's leg moved in a way that could only be described as a wave toward Katara's curious expression. Katara came back up, pretending to choke on some water to hide her laughter. Toph almost smiled across the way.

Katara thought she might make it through breakfast without any questions, thank spirits.

"So Katara," Toph said after a lull when people were starting to examine Katara more obviously now, "What was the Prince like?" Her tone had taken a saccharine tone, one that if Katara hadn't seen Toph's lips move, she wouldn't have believed it came from her mouth.

At her question, everyone in the dining hall is absolutely silent, staring very clearly at her. Katara locked her jaw and sent Toph a middle finger under the table. She's sure Toph saw that from the wide-lipped smile that washes over her face.

Even Yue looks more interested and ravenous than Katara would have thought.

She sighed, and most girls leaned forward, mistaking it for a dreamy sigh. Katara considered her next words carefully, "He's a good man."

A couple girls seemed to relax at this. Of course, many were likely comparing him to his father, secretly wondering. Katara's glad she could ease a couple nerves. Katara made a point to go back to her food, praying that that would be the end of it. Instead, Toph's question was the catalyst for other girls to ask.

"What did you two do?" On Ji asked.

"We...talked."

"About what?" Suki frowned.

"Uh...stuff." Katara winced, unwilling to give too much away.

"Jerk," She heard Eva whisper, which hurt her a little, "C'mon, give us something." She realized she was being unnecessarily cagy, and tilted her head.

"He has an open mind. Nothing's been made up yet, he really wants to give a good shot into this." Out of the corner of Katara's eye, she saw Mai frown deeply, angrily, "He's easy to talk to, I promise. He's a gentleman, as far as I can tell."

"So," June had a glint in her eyes, and Katara anticipated a question coming that she would never ask if Zhi was around. Zhi, sadly, had come in at the start and left them be, "What did you have to promise the Prince to get that first meeting. I'm sure we'd all be glad to hear what he likes."

There was such a sexual undertone to it that Katara nearly spit up her water. What was it with everyone and the prince and sex? Katara hadn't gone that far with boys, mostly because she didn't like any of them enough for that, but she had thought herself rather advanced in thought. But this? Spirits, these girls were deprived or crazy or something. She was horrified to see some other girls nodding with June's question.

"Nothing." Katara said flatly, narrowing her eyes, "The Prince isn't interested in doing that, yet." She wasn't sure if that was true. But Zuko was so awkward around girls, she had to think he'd be overwhelmed if one tried.

"Honey, he's a boy. Of course, he is." June said with a laugh.

"Maybe he's not actually attracted to Katara,"An Earth Nation girl that Katara didn't know yet said with a sigh of relief, which sorta irked her. Fine, Katara thought, throw yourself at him and see where that gets you.

Breakfast didn't continue for too much longer, for Zhi appeared soon.

"Girls, finish up! Today, we will be doing a tour of the palace, or the wing that we inhabit," A lot of girls grinned at the prospect of seeing things officially. Even Katara was interested, "And Prince Zuko will be helping me lead it."

That sent girls into bedlam, basically. Katara snorted.

Outside of their large doors, the prince was waiting. Girls elbowed to be in front, close to him. Katara hung back, not wanting to draw attention to herself. However, Zuko's eyes sought her out in the crowd and he gave a soft grin in her direction.

Yue was near Katara. Katara gave her a meaningful push toward the front. She looked back, eyes terrified for a second until Katra pushed her a little harder.

"Thanks," Yue whispered, finding the courage to insert herself close to the Prince. Zuko seemed glad to see her.

The tour was predictably long. Not that Katara found it disinteresting, but it seemed like every step a girl was asking Zuko a question, some within the realm of the tour, some very obviously not. Zuko seemed to handle their inquiries well, but Katara had to wonder if he practiced being in front of all of these girls beforehand, as she knew some people did before meeting groups. However, maybe he'd realized he had all the power here. These girls would jump into the sea if he told them to.

At least it gave Katara a chance to appreciate all the artwork on the walls, in the carpets, on vases...she thought her brother would love this. He had a liking toward art, although he was awful at it himself. She'd tried telling him once, but that didn't go over well. So, she let him doodle his little pictures, trying to guess correctly what things were supposed to be. He'd be fascinated by this, she knew. She was going to write him about all she saw so she tried to commit every strand of silk, every brush stroke to memory.

She zoned in and out of what Zuko and Zhi were actually saying since so much of it was girl's questions anyway. It was because of that, she heard the commotion first. The rest of the group was so loud that she understood why they didn't hear it, but Katara held back, looking down the halls. She flashed a look back at Toph, whose own head was swimming around. She was now wearing shoes with soles, likely a mandate of Zhi, so she was less sure. But her hearing was impeccable, Katara had to imagine.

Katara took a couple steps back the way they'd come, straining to hear more.

"Princess Katara," Zhi's squawk interrupted her concentration, "Please, stay with the group!"

All eyes were on her. Zuko was frowning, but not unhappily. He had tensed, and his head was tilted.

"Wait…" He said, and she knew he heard something too. His eyes suddenly widened and he shoved back toward Katara, "Everyone, follow me!" His voice was firm, a tone she hadn't heard from him before.

"What's wrong? Are we in danger?" Saya asked, her lip quivering.

"Just stay close to me, and be quiet," Zuko commanded. The two guards that had been trailing behind the group leaped into action, staffs pointed out as the flanked the group.

"Keep close," Katara said, naturally strategizing, "We want to be as small as possible so the guards can protect us."

The girls looked at Katara blankly until Zuko growled, 'Yes, what she said." The group balled together immediately.

They ran as quietly as they could back through the halls, too stunned for any to be saying anything. Even June had a look of unsureness on her face.

"Prince Zuko," The older gentleman in the family came forward.

"Uncle Iroh." Zuko greeted with a grim expression. Katara looked around. They were close to their doors, "We need to call guards to protect the girls." He said. Iroh nodded in agreement.

"They've breached the main courtyards, but they haven't gotten anywhere close to living quarters," Iroh informed Zuko, who let out a long sigh of relief. Katara strained to hear more. Who were' they'? Was this expected?

Now that they were not in a long hallway, Katara could hear yelling. It sent a shiver up her spine. The screams were loud and it pierced through the air like battle cries. She swallowed down a noise of surprise and surveyed the area.

"Shouldn't we keep moving?" Katara asked. She knew maybe she was overstepping…

"Of course," Zuko seemed to blink away from his conversation. Iroh was appraising her with interest, "Guards, take them back."

There was the sound of splintering wood and a man crashed through a doorway close to us. Most of the girls looked like statues, frozen on the spot.

"Run!" Katara turned, yelling, "Go!"

"You too," Zuko told Katara with a heavy expression. Katara firmly shook her head, unclasping the waterskin she kept under her nice things. She had never gone anywhere without it and she was glad she hadn't left it today. She summoned a ball of water out, her fingers hovering.

"No, you need to be with them," Zuko said.

"I can help!" Katara argued, "I'm a master waterbender!" Self-taught, but she wasn't going to tell him that. To prove a point, she picked one of the intruders up with a tentacle of water and slammed him into the ground. Iroh made a noise that might have meant he was impressed.

Zuko threw out a flame, catching another by his heels and he too slammed into the ground.

"I know," He said meaningfully, "I still have bruises. You can be protecting them. Please." He added quietly. Katara opened her mouth but then bit back down her comments.

"Yes, Prince Zuko," She said a bit angrily. However, she understood his logic and she had already tempted his patience enough.

The guards were waiting for Katara and they shut the door behind them and locked it tight.

"Girls, girls...let's not panic," Zhi was desperately trying to calm them, with little success.

"What...who...was that?" Caecilia hiccuped.

"Equalists," Mai said in an icy tone.

"Why are they attacking the palace?" Suki asked, frowning.

"Anti-bender, anti-Prince's Choice, anti-Fire Lord...take your pick," She waved a hand, "They're not usually so dangerous. Usually, it's all talk and no action..." She added after a moment, looking a smidgen concerned.

"Will Prince Zuko be okay?" Maiha said with big, glistening eyes.

"Of course," Zhi interrupted, "The Royal Family not only have the best guards one can have, but they're all talented benders in their own right." Katara still was holding a ball of water in front of her, close to the door.

"She's a waterbender," Katara heard Ty Lee whisper, "No wonder Zuko likes her."

Katara didn't relax from her position. Even if Zuko had been just trying to get her out of there, she was going to protect these girls. She noticed who made motions to come forward instead of back. Toph, who had thrown her slippers on the ground. Suki and Smellerbee...who she instantly liked. Mai, surprisingly. Yue, a timid step forward.

After what seemed like an eternity, but likely was no more than twenty minutes, Katara heard footsteps and the sounds of the Royal Family. Katara shrank back into the crowd to let the doors open. She found herself next to Yue and Eva, who was blubbering a bit.

"Eva, C'mon," Katara whispered, "Look like Yue." She advised, wanting Eva to look worthy of a Fire Lady; calm and logical in situations of terror. Eva let out one more gasp before using a handkerchief to wipe her eyes. When she stood up, she looked regal. Yue nodded to Katara with gratitude.

"I'm glad to see you are all safe," Fire Lord Ozai said, surveying the group, "We deeply apologize for this. Often, these rebels are...an irritation at best. Had we known they had become so dangerous, we would have absolutely taken better measures. As it is, right now we are getting to the bottom of this. We wish not to contain you here, but for every two girls that leave this area, one guard must be with them and we will not be doing lessons outside the doors with the whole group, but smaller groups." He said. Katara tilted her head. All seemed fair.

She looked at Ursa. She looked calm, as though this had not just happened. Katara wondered how many threats as Fire Lady she'd faced in her day. Maybe this as just common?

"We thank you for your courage through this." Ursa added, looking motherly for a second, "We hope this does not change your wanting to be here." Zhi bowed to them, and all the girls followed. They left, likely onto meetings about the incident, leaving behind their son.

Zuko stepped forward, going to On Ji first. It was clear he intended to speak with each girl for a moment, which Katara found to be a kind gesture. She watched him move throughout the group, offering handkerchiefs or pats on the back to crying girls. Jin had fainted, and he had her taken to a healer's room, Katara assumed.

Katara was one of the last he spoke to. She nodded to him formally, still a little upset. Zuko rolled his eyes.

"I can't believe you're mad at me for sending you away for your own protection," He said, a bit annoyed. Katara felt a flare of anger, too warm to settle away.

"I don't need protection from the Fire Nation," She spat out before she could stop herself. She could imagine how she looked; eyes burning, fists clenched, body quivering. Something inside her, her pride for her tribe, made her furious.

She expected Zuko to put her in her place, but instead, he just furrowed his one good eyebrow.

"I...I hadn't meant to offend you, truly." even though Katara could tell he had no idea how he offended her, his words were genuine. This deflated Katara a little.

"I could have helped. What if you were hurt?" She pointed out.

"Katara, my Uncle Iroh is hands down the best firebender in the nation," At Katara's skeptical face he nodded, "I swear. I'm not bad either. It was my problem to deal with, also, not yours. Plus, if they did get to you, I didn't want to leave them defenseless."

"Others would have fought. Yue, Suki, Besu, Toph, and Mai all stepped toward the door instead of away from it." She answered quietly, "There are fighters among us. I know, crazy to imagine girls can get blood on their hands…"

"Not at all. Have you heard anything about my sister, Azula? She's terrifying. She'd paint pictures with the blood of enemies if we let her." He said it so matter-of-factly, "But you're all under my protection here, regardless. That means something to me."

There was a pause, "Are you okay?"

"Of course I am," Katara said, "To be honest, my waterbending practices have been lacking, so call me crazy, but that was a little exhilarating." Zuko almost laughed, "How are you?"

Zuko seemed surprised by her question, and she wondered if a single girl had inquired about his own well-being, "Well, I'm here, aren't I?"

"I mean how are you with this…" Katara waved a hand, "Crying girls."

Zuko winced, "Awful. I have no idea what I'm doing." Katara looked at the girls, most of whom seemed placated now.

"You seem to be doing alright." She wished she had some quick tips to give him, but he'd done fine until now, "Is Aiga okay?" A thought hit Katara. She knew that during the day the handmaids of the girls scurried around.

"Aiga? Your handmaid?" Katara was a little surprised he knew her name or recognized who she had to be thousands of workers in the palace.

"Yes. She seems timid and I'd hate for her to be hurt."

"She's fine, I'm sure," Zuko said convincingly, "No, really. The staff knows the emergency procedures perfectly. They've likely walled away in hidden passageways."

"Hidden passageways?" Katara's eyes lit up with childish excitement. Then, she frowned, "Not that I'll get a chance to find them, what with the rules and all."

Zuko looked around, and Katara realized he'd spent a long time with her, longer than most, "Play your cards right and I'll show you them." He said in a half-teasing voice. It was so ridiculous, so cliched and usually so specific to something that neither of them was talking about that Katara couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter. Zuko looked red for a second before chuckling too.

"Please, oh please, don't use any pick-up lines on anyone. Then they'll know you're hopeless with women." Katara advised him. Zuko groaned.

"Noted. Anyway, see you...later?"

Katara gave him a thumbs up and he moved on to Mai. Katara watched him with her for a second. Katara may have been dreaming, but she thought that maybe Mai smiled at him.

Whatever plans there had been for the day were, understandably, canceled. Zhi had the chefs bring in warm pots of tea to be passed around and dessert-like stress items. Most of the girls sat in small circles with blankets around their shoulders, talking in quiet voices as they tried to calm their nerves.

Katara, however, couldn't stand that. She was angry, annoyed, and concerned all for the reasons she couldn't quite place. And, since it was out in the open she was a waterbender, she wasn't going to hide in her room anymore or practice at night. She left the area without saying a word to anyone, grabbed one of her more difficult scrolls, and stalked out into the garden.

She felt stupid for not practicing as religiously as she had at home. While it was already established she didn't have free time, she had downtime. Time where she was sure she was supposed to be eating or sleeping but gave it up so she could waterbend every day.

After about an hour in, only about a third of what she hoped to accomplish, she was already producing a hard sweat. It was so much hotter here that even basic steps worked up her heat. In her tribe, the cool air was constantly lowering her body heat and allowing a much longer workout. She might actually have to stop for breaks.

She'd seen a couple curious faces peeking out from the individual rooms, but no one had bothered her. Some watched longer than others. Some glanced through the curtains, then left. She didn't mind an audience, not when she was confident in her ability and that no one here was going to be critiquing her. The only other waterbender was Eva, and well…

She leaned down, panting as her fingers clutched the grass. Her clothes, which was the simple things Aiga had found for her, were wet with perspiration. She leaned down to drink from the pond when she saw a figure morphing behind her.

She turned to see Suki standing over her, grinning.

"Hello," Katara stood, wiping the sweat from herself with a waterbending move, and it splattered on the dirt. Suki didn't look disgusted but instead intrigued.

"I just wanted to say you really brave today. I didn't want to disturb you before." Suki said, eyes bright. Katara did realize she'd been one of the girls that kept an eye on her longer than a passing glance.

"Oh, I just...it was instincts." She said. She hadn't thought hard about why she leaped forward today. These men really could have been dangerous. It's not like she swore fealty to the Prince. And, she thought awful for thinking it, but perhaps if the Prince vanished...the whole Royal Family in fact, the troubles her tribe was facing might vanish. However, she really enjoyed Zuko as a person and these girls here did nothing wrong, not that she could tell. They certainly didn't deserve to die. Plus, Katara wouldn't mind knocking a few more heads.

"I feel stupid, I just went with the girls. I don't know the prince too well, but you did have a meeting with him already."

Katara gave her a soft smile, "No one's judging you. It was scary." Katara had been afraid, but her adrenaline overshadowed that.

"No, really. If my sisters saw me, they'd be so ashamed." Suki looked completely red, "But, I thought it wouldn't be wise to disobey the Prince."

Katara frowned, examining her, "I heard you're a warrior of some sorts," She recalled suddenly, "Although, I don't know much. In this aspect, it surprised her that she hadn't come forward. Then again, the prince was merely a faraway figure to her so far.

"Kyoshi. Not a lot have heard of us," Suki didn't seem offended, "I suppose that's why I'm here. It may sound silly, but I'm not to concerned with winning the Prince's hand. I come with the hopes that I might shed light on our village. Old traditions are being lost and I hope to preserve them." She said.

"Why would you admit this to a competitor?" Katara asked shrewdly.

"I hope that you knowing this will see that I am not a competitor, not in the sense I may stand before your chance with the Prince," Suki said honestly.

Katara laughed, she didn't mean to. Suki looked confused.

"It's just...spirits, is anyone actually here for the Prince? I'm not either." She was under no suspicion that Suki could be lying to her. Toph must have already figured it out, in some form, "Like you, I'm here for my tribe." She said.

Suki chuckled to herself, scratching her head, "Well, I know for a fact some girls are. If I have to sign one more time about his sexy face, I'm going to hit someone." Katara gave a similar grunt of agreement.

"So," Katara washed her face, "A warrior. I sort of am because I'm a bender. Earth bender?" She questioned.

"Non-bender," She replied, which mildly surprised her, "Kyoshi Island Warriors are mostly like me. We are trained in hand-to-hand combat, but truly, I have not come across another group like us. Our fighting style is very unique. Even more so," She gave a wicked grin, "We're all girls."

Katara felt an open-mouthed grin split her face, "No way."

Suki mirrored her expression, "We take any girl that wants to learn. We teach 'em to be tough, to be strong." She sounded immensely proud of her island, which Katara thought she should be.

"Do you spar?" Katara asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Is that an invitation?" Suki seemed surprised to be asked by Katara. Katara nodded enthusiastically. She still felt the burning in her veins left over from her fight today, the need to get that out. Plus, she could see where she'd fallen behind.

"One second," Suki was practically bouncing on her heels, "Lemme grab something." She almost ran back to her room. In the meantime, Katara tied up her hair into a bun and shed the outer layers of her clothes, leaving her in just a pair of silken pants and her breast wrappings. She didn't want to be dragged down with items soaked in sweat, nor feel clunky.

Suki returned with her shoulder length hair also tied up, in something that almost reminded Katara of her brother's wolf tail. She had changed into a simple pair of brown pants and a shirt, nothing ornate and positively peasant looking. She had a fan with her, which Katara didn't understand.

"We train with Katanas, but I wasn't allowed to bring that, lest I try to murder the Prince," Suki rolled her eyes, "But that's okay. We mainly train with this, which I managed to convince my representatives was merely an ornate bauble," She said with doe eyes, and Katara could see how she fooled them, "But it's deadly if used right."

"You okay with blood?" Katara asked, "Or gentler?"

Suki flicked her wrists and her two fans clicked into place, "I'm not a baby. I've been going 'till first blood for years now." She paused, frowning, "But if we're caught, we may be thrown out. endangering another competitor…" She scowled.

"Oh, yeah." Katara frowned, rubbing her chin. She might not have a chance to explain to Zuko it was friendly, "Fine. First hit on a chest?" She asked, tapping the area.

"Bruises can be hidden," Suki agreed.

Katara got into a fighting stance, "May the best woman win,"

Suki wrapped a leg around her own, nearly toppling Katara already, "Indeed." Her eyes were glimmering with excitement.

Katara had only ever gone against Sokka in sparring, who wile had good instincts, was eons away from a partner. She always won, causing him to pout and not want to spar anymore. During those times, Katara felt her world slow down, and she could trace each movement.

Fighting Suki was wholly different. Katara couldn't find a moment to breathe, much less to internalize what she was doing. It was all just a blur, all….instincts. Though she'd never needed to be convinced of her own worth, knowing that her instincts could take over was an exhilarating thought. She understood why some told her fighting was like a dance; she'd push Suki back, Suki would push her back. It was an endless back and forth, like waves. They seemed well-matched. Eventually, Katara was beginning to wonder if maybe they'd need to call a draw. The moment she started thinking was the moment she lost her focus, and that just tumbled it all to the ground.

Katara felt the wind knocked out of her as she fell onto the grass. She gasped for her breath for a moment, staring up at the purple sky. And, although she could hardly breathe as it was, a great laugh erupted from Katara in gasping, voiceless spurts and Katara realized this was the first time since arriving she'd really laughed.

Suki was over her in an instant, her face worried.

"Katara!" She set her fans aside, "Oh, please don't be dying."

"Nope," Katara coughed out, "Just winded. I think this means you win," She said, wincing as she tried to sit up. Suki helped her.

"I thought you would, to be honest." Suki said, "I might not see many water benders but I know a powerful bender when I see one." The praise made Katara's chest hurt a little less.

"Well, I'm all self-taught. The only bender in my tribe, to be honest." Katara drew her legs to her chest, "My dad considered sending me to the North, but they just teach women healing there. I'm not opposed to learning, and I have, but I am a warrior at heart. Plus, you've been taught I'm sure since you were a toddler."

"We do start young." Suki agreed, "To not be trained by a master...you're really great, Katara. I'd spar with you any day."

Katara picked up a fan, experimentally waving it around.

"Why fans?"

"It's to honor our founder, Avatar Kyoshi," Suki explained, grabbing Katara's wrist gently and helping her do some of the simple moves Katara had seen her do. At the mention of the Avatar, Katara felt a little pang. The world wasn't in war now, but it wasn't balanced. But, since all the airbenders were gone, the cycle was broken. In moments like this, Katara had to think that the Fire Nation had a hand in it.

"It is a really pretty weapon," Katara admitted, tracing her fingers over the filigree.

"Well, we're not blood and guts. As I said before, we're a tradition. There's also dances we learn with the fans. It's not sexual, I'd say, but it is enticing. And when we fight, if we do, we wear full face makeup and costumes-elegant silk and headdresses. It's elegant to watch." Suki's breath sounded elated.

"I would love to see that," Katara said honestly.

"If I stay long enough, I'm sure you will. They usually do a cultural night with the remaining girls when it gets more manageable."

Katara snorted, "Ozai probably thinks I'd gut a tiger seal and make jerky in front of everyone." She said sardonically. Suki shrugged.

"I'd actually be very interested in that." She grinned, "I mean, you've seen Earth Kingdom food...it's very...simple." She decided, "Lots of things grown in the ground. Anything really great tasting, like fruits, isn't grown where I am. Not on an island, at least."

"Tiger seal jerky is really just salt," Katara chuckled, "But it's good to chew on when you're on long trips because to get through a bite it takes a long time."

"Wow," Suki leaned back, laying on the ground. Katara still hadn't been able to fully get up, so she joined Suki to watch the sunset, "Hard to imagine things are so different but so close."

Katara hummed in agreement. She liked Toph a lot, but Toph wasn't interested in swapping cultural identities. The other Watertribe girls were close enough to her own life that it wasn't the same. Suki, however, seemed excited to tell Katara about her life and to hear about Katara's own practices. It made Katara feel less of a simple tribeswoman.

When the sky was completely dark, Suki helped Katara up, slinging an arm under her and led her back to the rooms.

"I think I need to wash off," Katara decided, seeing the little mud prints she was trailing onto the nice carpeting.

Usually, when Katara had bathed here, she didn't make a fuss of it. She didn't take long, partially out of respect for the other girls. Even though only small cluster shared a washroom, there were some girls in her group that seemed to take years sitting in the bath doing spirits knows what. Also, bathing at home wasn't a luxury but a semi-annual necessity. The water in their basins was always colder than warm and thusly it was better to just get it done quickly than to linger. So, usually, Katara just washed off her body in whatever temperature the basin water was without bothering to warm it. It was already better than home, she thought.

Tonight, however, she didn't feel selfish taking the tub for a dip. A girl in the washroom practically dove out of her way when she came in, beeline for the tubs in the back. Perhaps it was because she respected Katara for what she'd done today. Perhaps she had seen her practice and was afraid. Either way, Katara was glad.

She took the time to heat the water until it was near scalding and used every scented bar around her until she smelled like a garden. The area on her chest Suki was hit was already yellowing, but the warmth helped significantly.

When Katara was pruning at her fingertips, she fluffed herself off with a towel and went back to her room. She flopped on her bed, only taking a moment to slip on a pair of undergarments and a nightdress before she curled among the pillows, hair wet and frizzing out.

She found that she wasn't sleepy, but instead rolling back the events of the day. When she thought of the attack, and Zuko specifically, a flash of anger as painful as her chest rocketed through her veins.

Or maybe, she was upset with herself. It had been foolish, as brave as it might have been. If she had died in this attack, her grandmother would do a large ancestral ritual, call her spirit back from the dead, and them promptly curse her into the next thousand years. If she claimed to be so politically savvy, she wasn't showing it yet. She should have just gone back to the room. So yes, she was a little angry at her own actions. She was just too eager to fight, which not only may reflect poorly on her but did make her look a little...savage. She winced physically.

But no, she was still very upset with Zuko. Not about him ordering her around, well that yes, but more how he'd just...apologized. She was expecting a fight. She and Sokka's arguments could be heard clear across the sea, but then they hit each other and made up soon afterward. Hearing Zuko just stop was a reaction she wasn't sure how to handle. Plus, did he have to be so damn nice? If he kept doing things like that, she might develop dreaded feelings, or worse. If she had a reason to dislike him, a reason why they couldn't work or why he shouldn't have an interest in her, it would be much easier she decided. And she hadn't known him long but was unable to come up with any substantial reason to truly dislike him. His parents, well particularly his father, was the most plausible one and even that was weak. Who didn't dislike their in-laws a little?

The rest were just pathetic. He thought cats were better than dogs. He was a little awkward. He thought Mai wasn't an awful person. He lived in a place bigger than her whole tribe.

All were not doing their job.

She huffed, rolling over and prayed that a reason to dislike him more would present itself soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in the selection, there is a group of like rouge attackers that for the life of me, I can't recall what Cass calls them. But when I was going through, I was like 'oh god, how am I going to put this in here? Am I? and I decided I wanted to, to add 'things'. So, I threw in the Equalists, which are from LoK. These aren't 'them' but like their pre-cursors, you know? And, now that I'm nearly done writing Bk1, they've made a huge impact. Funny how that is?
> 
> Next week I'm updating Thursday. I'll explain why in Thurs update!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES! LOOK AT THIS! I'M SO EARLY GAAAHHH
> 
> Anyway, I just really want to thank everyone that is reviewing so much! I mean, I've had people review other stories but you just have no idea how excited it makes me to update every week, knowing so many of you love this story. I am always completely overwhelmed and bowled over by the responses I'm getting and I hope I can continue making you all so happy!

The morning she woke feeling even worse physically. When she tried to stretch out her back, her whole body quaked and she folded in two, gasping.  
“Okay, nope.” She puffed out, touching her chest gently. Admittedly, she’d done a lot by herself. This was the first chance she’d gotten to spar on an even playing field. She went against her brother, sure, but that was with siblings so it always ending with cheating. And she’d gotten bumped around loads of times, but that fan...well, wow. She understood how powerful the Kyoshi truly was.  
She wrapped her breast tunic on tightly, trying to obscure the bruise the best she could. She considered trying some of the colorful powders that went on her face, as she hovered near the makeup stand. But, she hardly knew how to put blush on without looking like she was embarrassed all the time, so she just wrapped it down lower than she normally would.  
She was glad that had been the first thing she did because Aiga knocked and waltzed into the room.  
“Aiga!” Katara breathed a sigh of relief. Zuko had sounded sure that they were safe, but she didn’t deny the idea that he might just be a grand liar. Aiga dropped her linens in surprise. Katara’s tone was very friendly, “Spirits, you’re alright, right?”  
“From yesterday?” Aiga asked, “Oh, yes. We hardly were near any of the action anyway.” Aiga said, lowering herself to gather Katara’s items.  
“Good,” Katara beamed, “I was worried,” She said, tilting her head.  
“Worried? About me?” Aiga echoed, smoothing her black hair back nervously.  
“Of course.” Katara said, “I mean,” She trailed off. She was going to say something to the effect of that they weren’t so different, and truly the one thing that separated them was the arbitrary boundary line between a worker and a competitor. Yet, they were the same height, around the same age, and Katara’s wealth at home was probably comparable to Aiga’s, in truth. Maybe only a sliver better, but not much. In fact, Aiga was employed, with money, which is more than the South had.  
“It’s kind of you to say so,” Aiga said after a moment, eyebrows crinkling, “I shouldn’t gossip, I know, but some of the other ladies...they’d…” Katara didn’t have to hear the rest of it. She was sure that the well-being of their handmaids, some of which girls they’d brought with them, never crossed their mind.  
“I also heard you were quite the hero,” Aiga grinned, then covered her lips, trying to settle her emotions.  
“Oh,” Katara winced, “Hardly.”  
“Truly, though,” Aiga said, “Few people run toward danger.”  
Katara tried sitting, “Yep. That’s me,” She said dryly. She stood back up when her chest hurt. Aiga gave her a concerned look.  
“Do you need to see someone?”  
“No, I just slept weird, that’s all.” Katara lied, “What dress today?” She asked, flinging open her wardrobe, leaving Aiga to do her usual morning jobs that Katara allowed- picking her ensemble, showing her which colors to use on her face and where, and helping Katara put her hair up because it really was a two-person job. Once that was done, Katara dismissed her. She sank onto the chair on her makeup table slowly, achingly. She should have asked Aiga if she had any sort of numbing tea or salves around.  
The breakfast hall was back to the usual chatter instead of the deadly silence the room had heard yesterday.  
“I saw you practicing in the gardens,” Yue said when Katara sat down, “You’re very good.”  
“Good enough,” Katara said, but in reality, she didn’t think so since Suki beat her.  
“No, really! The masters in the North might rethink women learning fighting if they saw you.” Yue said with a tinge of hopefulness. Even this piqued Katara’s attention.  
“Really?” She asked, turning her whole body toward Yue, since her bruise didn’t allow her much movement.  
“I’d hope,” Yue admitted, “They can be pretty traditional. Honestly, I’ve thought the rule is outdated for years. Besides, we have much more women than men on average, and I’ve heard a rumor that back a long time ago when a plague killed most of the men the women fought instead.” Yue sipped her morning tea, “However, they call that ‘fanciful storytelling’ and if were true ‘extreme circumstances’.”  
“So we get rid of most men. Sounds ideal enough,” Katara teased, and this brought a tiny smile from Yue.  
“I’m not allowed to rule unless I marry a man. And if I were to be chosen by Zuko, my right would be forfeited to my cousin.” She admitted, “I have to say, I jumped coming here because at least I know women are more respected here.” She added the last bit in a hushed whisper, as though it was heresy to say.  
“I think you’re a strong enough woman you could change things,” Katara said and Yue just shrugged.  
“In my dreams, perhaps.”  
Zhi entered the dining hall, and by this point, all the girls knew to quiet down. Katara rolled the bread between her finger with mild curiosity how things would be after yesterday.  
“Ladies, in light of yesterday’s...event,” Zhi cleared her throat, “I have spoken with the Royal Family and we have decided the safest way to continue is that you will be divided into three groups to dine with the family. They do not meet for every meal, but they make a great effort most of the time to. It will rotate accordingly.”  
There were mild sounds of distress from the girls, but Zhi just clasped her hands.  
“Ladies, look on the bright side. Even if you do not see the Prince as often, you will get a more intimate experience with him, since there will be fewer girls vying for his time.”  
Her logic made the twitter more excited in nature. Katara chewed slowly on her bread.  
“Wei here has the lists of groups. These groups will not change in the near future, and remember if you are one, two or three. If you try to sneak into a group that isn’t yours for more time, you will be eliminated. Group one will go for lunch today and two at dinner. I believe that they are meeting for breakfast as well tomorrow, so at least you will experience it all together.” Zhi said, “After you are finished, Wei will sit here and let you know where you are.” Wei loudly pulled a chair across the wood, plopping himself down with a scroll, “Enjoy the rest of your meal, ladies. Today will be a day in here since we need to do a little juggling of our schedules with this new rule in place.”  
Zhi nodded, leaving the dining hall. There was a moment of silence before half of the chairs were scratching back as girls clambered over to Wei.  
“Kilee,” Katara said, trying to grab her wrist, “Your name won’t change location if you finish,” She said, pointing at the half-eaten plate.  
“You've had your chance. I’m just too excited to finish!” Kilee said, and Katara watched her go, leaning on the back of her chair.  
“Oh, that’s just her,” Saoirse said as she continued eating, “Can’t change her.” None of the other Water tribe girls, except Eva who actually had been done, had gotten up to see their results.  
“As long as the prince doesn’t see,” Katara murmured which was met by a hum of agreement from Yue. Katara caught her eye. Perhaps she’d already assessed the situation in the way Katara had and knew the same pitfalls of her fellow girls.  
Katara wondered if Yue would truly try to help them, though, as Katara was doing. She, unlike Katara, actually did want this title. Perhaps letting Kilee blabber in front of him or Eva turn into a stone when he complimented her would work in her favor?  
When most of the girls had cleared, Katara went up to Wei.  
“The fighter,” Wei acknowledged to her bitterness, “Group one.”  
“How were these chosen?” Katara narrowed her eyes.  
“All random.” Wei shrugged. Katara had to wonder if it truly was. Not that Katara cared what other girls thought, but she knew she was getting quite a lot of time with the Prince. She would have been happy to be group three.  
Wei had sounded almost in awe when he called her ‘the fighter’, so maybe they liked that she was stupid like she had been? Maybe they were pushing her as one of the ideal candidates? Well, she supposed that could only help her position...she hoped. She snorted to herself; if only she could tell these girls that apparently the best way to get to the Prince was to tell him that you had zero interest in him. It seemed she only ever saw the Prince now.  
She read a little more on the book about the Ladies of the Fire Nation. She was glad it was surprisingly thorough and a little tough to get through. It gave her a goal, something to work toward. Plus, she acknowledged she was entering into now a game of not only beauty but of politics, on her end. She had to model herself to be a Fire Nation Lady if she wanted Ozai’s vote, which she knew she’d need if she intended on staying through the next culling.  
At around sun high, there came a knock on her door. She thought it might be Suki or Yue, but was surprised to see Aiga.  
“Zhi requested a little more formalness for this meal. There are said to be some political representatives coming.” She explained, “We have about an hour. I think you need to put on a dress that’s more...presentable.”  
Katara looked down; she was wearing what they would consider ‘casual’ at the palace. She frowned but allowed Aiga to lay out one of her pretty blue dresses, the same color as her eyes. Aiga helped her with her makeup since she needed something that looked a little more artistic than Katara’s shaky hand.  
“I can’t believe you’re so good at this!” Katara marveled at the swift way Aiga put on kol around her eyes, just smudging it along the lash line. When Katara did try, it was bulky and uneven.  
“Makeup is common here in the Fire Nation. Since working here, I’ve been able to afford it.” Aiga explained, “I do have a life...go on dates…”  
Katara turned, raising an eyebrow. “Really?” She asked with a hint of curiosity.  
“Well, I haven’t had one in awhile...but just, I’ve been busy. Being upgraded to a handmaid is a huge responsibility. I just want to get a feel for it before I start making plans.” Aiga said confidently.  
“When you do, I want to hear about him...or her.” Katara added for good measure. Aiga chuckled, picking up Katara’s dress she’d worn for about three or four hours.  
“I hardly think that would interest you, not when you’re courting the prince.” Aiga said self-consciously.  
“I’ve dated pretty normal guys before. Plus, I like seeing you smile.” Katara said. Aiga blushed a bit, then narrowed her eyes outside.  
“I’d expect you’ll be lining up for lunch soon. Best of luck,” She said, touching Katara’s palms gently before leaving.  
Outside, a line of girls was already formed by the large double doors. Katara saw Yue with Eva waving to her.  
“Group 1?” Eva asked excitedly. Katara nodded.  
Down the line, a girl with ginger-brown hair similar to Suki’s gave a groan.  
“Of course we have to be with the favorite...he’ll never even look at me!” She whispered to a dark-skinned girl, who nodded with anger. Katara swallowed, trying not to look at them. Yue frowned at the pair.  
“Don’t listen to a word. They’re awful to talk like that. If the Prince finds them interesting, he’ll talk to them too.” She said in a mothering-like tone. Katara gave a thin smile.  
She noticed Besu- Smellerbee- was also in her group and she hoped to learn more about her.  
Five guards came to escort them, with Zhi leading the pack.  
“Why do we need all those?” The dark-skinned girl asked, “Katara the fighter is here.” Of course, it was probably meant as a jab, but in reality, it made Katara glow with pleasure. She probably was better suited for a fight than these guards, most of whom she assumed had never seen much fighting and protected the Prince and Princess from love-sick fans.  
The dining hall was full when they arrived, all the spots that may normally be filled with girls now instead filled with ostentatiously dressed representatives, some from Fire Nation, others from Earth Kingdom. Most gawked openly at the girls as they shuffled in, like they were on display or something.  
Katara chooses a seat far from the Prince as possible, hoping it would encourage him to talk to other people.  
“Now that the girls are here, we may start, after our Prince does some introductions,” Ozai said, calling attention to the front. Katara half-listened as Zuko rattled off the names of the girls and where they came from, only tuning in when she was expected to stand and curtsy at her own name.  
He didn’t go around introducing the representatives because of course only one of the girls here would need to know them. Katara didn’t speak much, except to Eva, but took this opportunity to listen in. One awesome thing she’d learned about being a girl is that males usually didn’t expect a small thing like her to be eavesdropping. Lots of the representatives were military positions, which she turned her nose up at a bit. The Earth Kingdom people usually represented some sort of trade, like cabbage or ostrich-horse. One was a fashion-designer, who raved about his newest silk designs. Katara tuned him out quickly, instead of trying to focus on the military discussion going on in quiet tones.  
Zuko did make a point of asking other girls questions specifically, starting with Yue, which Katara was grateful to see. She learned that Besu was only a couple months in age ahead of Toph and she could climb any tree. Most of the table turned their nose up at the idea of a lady shimmying up a tree, but Iroh looked delighted. The man sitting next to him, who Katara still did not know who he was and at this point was too afraid to ask, clapped his hands a bit.  
“There’s a tree we have here that’s as high as the palace, I’d like to see you climb that,” The man chimed in. Besu looked confident.  
“I’d do it,”  
“Maybe another day,” Ozai said, his displeasure seeping into his tone. Zuko didn’t seem fazed but instead continued asking Besu about her skills and such, before moving on. He even asked Eva a question, but Eva was so flustered she knocked her entire drink onto the table. People jumped back, raising their plates to avoid it ruining the meal. Katara, hardly thinking, flicked her wrist up and deposited the water into the glass, handing it off to a waiting servant.  
She hadn’t realized it was such a surprising motion. To her, it seemed logical. It would have taken forever to mop it up and if you couldn’t apply your bending to practical uses as well, where was the use of it? But everyone at the table just looked at her with varying degrees of curiosity.  
“I forgot, we had a ‘master’ waterbender amongst us,” Ozai’s velvet voice broke over the silence. He spoke little at this meal, except to voice his displeasure, “I heard about your actions yesterday. Quite the talk of the staff. So...brave.”  
Katara looked over at the end of the table, biting back a sigh. From his tone, she knew once again he was making fun of her, she was sure. Until she looked up and saw something unrecognizable in his gaze; admiration? Surprise? Tolerance? It was utterly mystifying to her.  
“Father,” Zuko’s voice was a low growl, a threat. He hadn’t made a point to defend the other girls vocally, usually just sending them a quiet apology if his father said something mildly insulting. But then again, his father hadn’t made such a declaration.  
“Oh, come on, Zu Zu,” Azula had also been quiet this whole time. But now when she spoke, it was the same enchanting way her father did, and Katara could see how this family played with minds and stayed on the top. Zuko’s face grew even darker at her nickname, which Katara took as a sibling thing. She called her brother ‘Idiot’ or ‘Meathead’ on occasion, but never with such a tone, “He’s just giving her a compliment.”  
At her deceptively innocent comment, Katara was even so more confused about where Ozai’s note lay. In her mind, she decided between insult and recognizing she wasn’t filled with air in her head.  
“Then don’t say it like you’re about to execute her,” Zuko muttered under his breath, which darkened the feelings of the whole room instantly.  
“Zuko, we’re not killing anyone here,” Azula said, but by the way, her eyes lit up, Katara could have been fooled, “Do you have to be so dramatic? Spirits, and to think you’ll be the Fire Lord with that temper-”  
“Azula,” Ursa’s voice was stern.  
“I’m just saying,” Azula continued merrily, taking a bite of her meal, “Zuko has a tendency to jump to conclusions over petty little things. Just imagine, handing Zuko the keys to the Fire Nation and someone says a little joke and it leads to war. Seems pretty plausible to me. Do we really think that he’s-,”  
“Azula. Eat your lunch. In silence.” Ursa cut her off, her gaze furious. Katara glanced at Zuko and saw the way his fists were clenched. The chopsticks between his fingers were beginning to smoke. Katara saw Ozai give Zuko a very disappointed look while Azula just shrugged at her dad, sending him a ‘see what I mean’ sort of look. Ursa was looking at her daughter like she was going to be grounded until she was thirty. Iroh looked concerned about the whole thing.  
The representatives all quickly made reasons to be done with lunch early, to retreat back to their suites until dinner. Soon, all that were left were the girls. Katara tried to sink low in her chair, rubbing her temples. Who knew her doing a simple water-bending move would spark all this nonsense? Zhi seemed to be blissfully ignoring it, and Yue tried to engage Zuko in another conversation. Zuko did his best to try to be nice to her, but Katara could tell his mind was entirely elsewhere.  
“Azula,” Ursa said in a moment between their talk of education in the North, “Finish your meal.”  
Azula shook her head, standing, “You know, mother, I don’t think I’m really hungry anymore,” She said, but turned back, her eyes zeroing in on the Royal topknot sitting in front of Zuko, “For food, that is, at least.” She said in a very pointed manner, before exiting.  
“Azula!” Ursa followed after her, quickly followed by Iroh and the man (he had to be family, didn’t he?).  
“Girls, I think it’s time we also take our leave,” Zhi said once it was just Ozai and Zuko. Probably for the best, as most of the girls looked terrified imagining just Zuko’s father there, no buffers.  
“What just happened?” Eva whispered to Katara, truly confused. Katara opened her mouth but shook her head.  
“Later,” She assured her.  
“Ladies, I apologize for that very uncouth display of manners, from both of my children,” Ozai said, face tightly stretched, like a bow taut, before letting go. She knew the piercingness of his gaze would land on her, and it did. Katara pointedly did not look at him. Ozai hardly spared his son a second glance as he exited the room, leaving Zuko there. Katara could tell he was trying to smooth his breathing. If he was holding something, he may set it on fire, Katara thought.  
“Girls, come, I’m sure the Prince has very important things to attend to,” Zhi said as she motioned to the hall.  
Katara stood up, rolling her shoulders and took a step to the left. Immediately, she found herself crashing down over Eva’s chair, taking a handful of plates and glasses to the floor as she stumbled hard. At first, she thought she’d just been extremely clumsy, until she saw one of the girls from Earth Nation giggling maliciously behind her fingers, eyes watching Katara fumble to get up. The other girls looked shocked and Yue came over, trying to push past Zhi to help Katara.  
Her body ached from the bruise, which would now be joined by at least ten more. One of her ankles was bleeding from where she’d yanked it across a piece of glass on the floor.  
“Princess Katara, what happened?” Zhi said, rushing over. She hadn’t seen. Katara held her tongue, wondering if she should speak up, name the girl that had very obviously tripped her. Before that could happen, Zuko’s feet came into view. Katara managed to catch a look up toward him, and he was furious.  
“Fidelia,” He said, his voice low and dangerous. Katara sucked on her cheek. Of course, this was Fidelia, “You can pack your bags when you return to your room.”  
The humor slid of Fidelia’s face, “You’re throwing me out because Katara is clumsy?” She asked, batting her eyes and looking as innocent as ever.  
Zuko almost grinned, “We both know exactly what you did. I saw and I’m sure other girls did too.”  
“Fidelia,” Zhi scolded, her voice disappointed.  
“I did not! And if my foot happened to be in her way, it was just an accident!” Fear seemed into her tone as she tried to hold onto her place, “Zuko-,”  
“You may call me ‘Prince’ or ‘Your Highness’,” Zuko corrected.  
“Your Highness,” Fidelia backtracked, “You cannot deny that we had a spark? Didn’t we? I know you felt it. Wouldn't you be upset if you let this one little thing get in the way of our eventual relationship.” Zuko crossed his arms, “Katara, did I trip you?” Fidela asked in a tone that said that if Katara said ‘yes’, she might kill Katara in her sleep.  
Before Katara could answer, Zuko shook his head, “Katara is a kind person. But I know what I saw. And even if I was hallucinating for one strange second, I don’t think I’d want the future Fire Lady to laugh at those who are down, I’d want them to help them up,” He sent a smile at Yue, “Kindness is necessary for my wife, but cannot be achieved by all.” The tone of his voice told Katara this was final, “Let this go as a warning. I will not tolerate any sort of this pettiness from anyone. You will go the same way Fidelia is going.” The remaining girls nodded, eyes wide. Fidelia was still shaking her head in shock.  
“But-,”  
“Fidelia,” Zhi said, “Do not go out looking like a child,” She sounded affronted she even had to tell someone that, “One of the guards here will take you back. Girls, let’s go to the hall.”  
“I’d like to speak with Katara a moment,” Zuko said. Zhi’s expression softened.  
“Of course, my prince.”  
Yue hesitated, but Katara sighed, shaking her head. Fidela left half-way between tears, sending angry looks back at Katara.  
Once the room was cleared, Zuko dropped his firm face and bent down to help Katara up. She tried not to flinch, but she didn't manage it well.  
“Has another girl done something?” He asked angrily, rubbing his face.  
“No!” Katara shook her head, snorting, “It’s just the fall.” She said, waving a dismissive hand. Zuko scrutinized her and then poked her directly where Suki’s fan had hit. She hissed through her teeth. Zuko raised his good eyebrow.  
“Okay, fine,” Katara threw up her hands, “But before you go kicking people out, I was just sparring with Suki. She won. I lost.”  
Zuko looked unconvinced, “You lost?”  
“Yeah, I mean, I don’t get to spar with real people a lot. It’s so easy to win against snowmen,” She mumbled to herself, “And Suki is not a force to be reckoned with. But she’s my friend, so…” She sighed, “Really, don’t kick her out.”  
“As long as this fight was...consensual and not about me.” He said.  
“I promise,” Katara said. Once she was steady, Zuko let her go. He grabbed a napkin from the table, offering it to Katara for her ankle.  
“I can have a healer look at that,” He said quietly.  
“N need. I can heal it myself,” Katara said, patting it dry and trying to assess the damage, “I just need water and a quiet space, which I’ll get back in the ladies area. I can’t believe you just...woosh, Fidelia, gone.”  
“She tripped you.”  
“And this is why people think you play favorites,” Katara said under her breath, but she was pretty sure Zuko heard it. He shrugged.  
“If she’d tripped anyone I would have sent her home. Really, I’m not going to tolerate it.” He said, holding up his hands, “But, I didn’t like she tripped you, I’ll admit…” Katara blinked, trying to erase away his last comment. It was far too loaded for her. Instead, Katara tapped her chin.  
“For the best. Toph told me her grand plan for winning was to get pregnant, by you, and then win by default.”  
“Spirits,” Zuko ran his fingers through his hair, “She seemed so normal, so put-together at the breakfast meeting. This is why I need a friend like you. She seemed like two totally different people!”  
“Zuko,” Katara sighed, setting the bloodied napkin on the table, “You need to not talk to me so much. The girls think it’s all in the bag and stuff.” There was a pause, “With me...and you.”  
Zuko’s jaw was locked, “Don’t you think I know that?” His voice was harsher than she’d expected. He looked away from her, “Sorry,” He said after a second, “I just like talking to you. You’re so easy to talk to. I don’t have to worry about much when I’m with you.” He said and Katara nodded, trying to once again brush away this too.  
“I know, I know. But... there are other great girls out there. Like Yue,” She hinted at again.  
“I could see myself really liking her in the romantic sense,” Zuko said, “Among others. Don’t think I don’t see.”  
“Then, as your friend,” Katara said softly, “Ignore me for a couple days.”  
Zuko laughed, “Come on.” He nodded to the door. The group of girls had already left, so Zuko walked her back.  
“You’re safe with me,” Zuko scoffed when Katara asked if he was going to call two guards for her, “And to be honest, I feel safer with you...even if you did lose your sparring match,” He said the second bit in a low, teasing whisper. Katara whacked him on his shoulder.  
He left her at the doors. When she entered, the hallways were buzzing with gossip of the whole lunch.  
“Azula clearly wants the throne,” Yue was explaining to Eva when Katara joined the group, “I can’t believe you didn’t pick up on that.”  
“Well, Zuko’s firstborn,” Katara chimed in. She knew this much, from other talks. Azula was her age, “So...she’s just saying things to thin air, basically.”  
“Yeah, but you know-,” Saoirse began, but Kilee talked over her.  
“Katara! Your leg!”  
Katara sighed. She looked at Saoirse, hoping for more info, for her to finish her sentence, but she never did. Now that Katara was back, their focus shifted to her.  
“I can fix it, easy,” Katara said, “He was just making sure I was okay. Nothing more.”  
“What Fidelia did was dishonorable. I’m glad she’s gone,” Yue said, “I’m sorry it had to happen at your expense.”  
“I’m thick-skinned,” Katara tilted her head, “I’m not going to let it bother me at all.”  
“He’s just so nice,” Eva sighed, “He looked so concerned about Katara.”  
“That’s good, isn’t it?” Kilee said, seeing the look on Katara’s face.  
“Yeah, yeah,” Katara forced a smile, “Just...it’s been a long day and it’s hardly past noon.”  
All the girls in the group agreed, and with that Katara was excused socially to go fix her leg.  
As she rubbed the glowing water up and over the cut, she thought a lot about Fidelia. Sad thing was, she was quite pretty. She had two different colored eyes, which was a catch anywhere and a face like a fairy. But her personality was so nasty. If she had focused less on making sure other girls didn’t succeed and worried only about herself, maybe she’d be fine.  
Katara was also glad Zuko spoke over her, which usually she would loathe. Mostly because Katara wasn’t sure if she’d tattle on her if Zuko had let her speak. A part of her hated to admit the temptation had been there, loudly.  
She focused on these troublesome thoughts over the other troublesome thoughts, which might be, despite their friendship, Zuko was getting a crush on her. She was sure it was just a crush, and early stages at that, but this...this could not happen. Absolutely not.  
There was a knock on her door. She expected Aiga, so just mumbled something inaudible. She was quite shocked, however, when Zhi creaked the door open, followed by Pan. She hadn’t seen either of her representatives so far in this competition, but then again there wasn’t much she needed of them. The chef was good to make a wide array of food from other nations and Aiga was able to send off any messages she needed.  
“Katara, I see you’ve healed your leg. Indeed, quite the bender,” Zhai said, nodding to where Katara’s wound was nearly fixed. Admittedly, Katara fell behind on her healing practices. If she were better, it might already be done, but as it was she liked something a little more...interactive. Besides, most of the men and girls in her tribe liked a scar or two to show their worth. Katara couldn’t tell what Zhi truly thought of her bending and she understood it was more of a polite way to come in.  
“I’ve asked Pan here,” Zhi nodded, “Because of what happened this afternoon. You’re alright, aren’t you?” Zhi did sound genuinely concerned for her well being.  
“I’m clumsy anyway,” Katara said, shrugging, “I’m fine.”  
“She purposely hurt you,” Zhi said, “You should not take this lightly, Katara.”  
“She’s gone now, isn’t she?” Katara asked, raising an eyebrow, “It’s done.” She said simply. She thought of the waves back home, trying to release any animosity toward this girl and let it float off. In fact, she pitied Fidelia...to imagine being so desperate you’d trip other girls…  
“Well, if you wanted to do more action, this is why Pan’s here.”  
Katara frowned. Their justice system back home wasn’t very complex, mostly because they were a small group, but she still understood the implication, “Pan or Laio would intervene on your behalf for more legal matters, including whe-if you move up to an elite.” Katara didn’t miss how she nearly said ‘when’.  
“Oh, that’s why you’ve been absent,” Katara said to herself. She had admittedly been wondering where her representatives, who she’d thought were very kind but merely ignorant, were lately.  
“Do you think you want to?” Pan cut in, “It would be within your right.”  
“Look, I’m fine. Just a little cut. She didn’t set me on fire or stab me, you know? Plus, I think she’s punished enough.” Katara replayed her flabbergasted look as the Prince sent her away.  
“You are truly modest and kind,” Zhi said, folding her fingers together, “But I agree. Fidelia will hopefully learn something now.”  
Katara bit back a hum of disagreement. In her experience, girls like Fidelia never did learn. They always thought the world was against them. But, she did truly hope maybe she was wrong. She hoped Fidelia could look back and realize it was such a stupid act, but still an unkind one.  
There wasn’t even a girl Katara disliked that much, even if she wasn’t trying to get to the Prince. She just didn’t usually hold that sort of animosity toward others.  
“If you change your mind, just tell Aiga and she’ll find me,” Pan said. He blinked, “I hope it’s otherwise been a good stay? Well, discounting the rebels…” He trailed off. Zhi hit the back of his arm with her pointer. He coughed, shaking his head away from that topic.  
“Perfectly well,” Katra said, which wasn’t a whole lie. This had been nice, in retrospect, so far. She wasn’t finding it awful, just a little boring at times, but overall it was a little thrilling to be deep in the territory of her tribe’s most mysterious and dangerous opposition.  
And well, Katara already knew she practically ran toward danger.  
“I’m glad to hear. I hear you had a much bigger role at home,” Zhi said, “But, that will have just groomed you for the Future Fire Lady.”  
Katra gave a smile, one that felt genuine even if it wasn’t. If she were here for Zuko’s heart and the crown, yeah, she’d have a hand up when it came to dealing with politics. She figured few others even tasted that.  
The pair didn’t stick around long after, leaving Katara back to her leg. She was determined to fix it until there wasn’t even a scar. Often, she would have enjoyed having another mark to add to her ever-growing collection on her skin, but this one felt so fake. She was a little ashamed she’d been tripped and not wounded in a battle, too. The entirety of this wound just felt off so Katara plowed through the boringness of healing until one couldn’t even tell she’d been dripping blood on Zuko’s cutlery sets today.  
Katara only left her room when the second third went to dinner. It seems like so much had eclipsed since lunch that it was impossible to imagine it was the same day. No such drama occurred, nor at breakfast the next morning. Katara wondered if she was very lucky or very unlucky because of these facts. She decided somewhere in between; she was too curious and so she was just glad drama happened around (and usually about) her but at the same time, it almost felt like someone was pulling the strings to make this whole affair more interesting than it already was.  
As breakfast was clearing out, Saya made a faint gasping noise, staring wide-eyed at the door. Everyone turned, except Katara for she had a good idea about what it was.  
“Good day, ladies, I hope I’m not interrupting.”  
Yep, the Prince.  
“No, your highness,” Zhi assured, grinning brightly as all the girls sat up straight, “What brings you here?”  
“Well, I was wondering if I could take Mai out for a couple hours,” Zuko asked. Katara's head swung around, frowning. Most of the girls deflated, but some looked at Katara with relief, as though thinking ‘at least it’s not her again.’ And, June, in particular, misread her reaction, muttering under her breath, “It can’t be you every time, princess.”  
In reality, Katara felt upset. She thought they’d agreed upon Yue. Well, it’s not like she truly had a say in this, but it mostly confused her. Plus, she saw how Yue’s expression clouded and she wanted to tell Yue that the prince liked her, but then she’d have to explain more than she wanted.  
A thought hit her, one she hadn’t considered. The prince likely knew politics. Katara and Sokka had grown up with it. When they were young and both of their parents were needed at meetings and her grandma or grandpa was gone, Sokka and Katara would lay at the feet of their parent's council meetings, playing with skits and dolls. But they’d still heard things. Even just counseling the tribe needed a particular brand of intelligence, one that could be learned; political savvy. So she had to think that a kid who was groomed to be the Fire Lord over an entire kingdom and more would have lived in that sort of world his whole life.  
And, if Katara were being political, she wouldn't have chosen another Water Tribe girl as a second date either. It would seem, if he had, his choice was done and he liked a certain...erm, brand of girl. With this, it was solidified that still, everyone had a chance. You wanted hope like that, because truth is, someone was going to win. It really could be anyone.  
So, she settled, and another thought hit her. It was how quiet the Prince had sounded. Not physically, but mentally. There was longing. Katara recalled that Mai had been his friend, long ago. Perhaps he hoped to set up a relationship to hers like he had with Katara, though more geared toward the romance. She hoped for his sake Mai said yes to at least this.  
Breakfast was cleared away and truth be told, Katara thought very little about his date with Mai. It seemed like everyone else thought it would be the only thing she thought about, sans those that knew she wasn’t really here for his heart.  
“Are you upset?” Eva asked.  
“No?” Katara frowned, “Why would I?”  
“Well, you were his first.”  
“You make it sound so serious. We hardly did much,” Katara said, setting her work down, “And this is a competition. I get that he’ll go on dates, spirits even kiss other women.”  
“I’d be jealous. I am jealous.” Eva admitted. She sighed, “I wish I could just be more like you…”  
Then, as she was crossing to use the ladies room, Ratana stopped her, “Finding it hard to imagine Zuko wants to be with Mai over you?” She asked cruelly. Katara rolled her eyes.  
“Says even less about you, then, doesn’t it?” She said cooly, pushing past her to get into the bathroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BYE FELICIA, erm i mean, FIDELIA! So yeah, Zuko ain't gunna tolerate any bull-shittery on his watch.
> 
> And Ozai...and Azula...They're terrifyingly confusing people, aren't they?
> 
> If you feel like this sort of ends awkwardly, it does. Admittedly, while writing the first 100 pages or so, I wasn't concerned about where chapters would be so much as I was just writing. So when I went back to cut it up, I was like, 'huh...I'm not sure I have a good spot to end this' but if I let the next section go on, this chapter would be much longer than the rest (which, I'm sure many wouldn't mind) BUT it would make next chapter really sort. So I just snipped it here. Meh. It works.
> 
> So, you may have noticed I am updating VERY early. It's because tomorrow/today, I'll be going to classes and then going straight to the airport to fly to Florida. And, since I live in cold and snowy Wisconsin FLORIDA CAN'T COME SOON ENOUGH. My bf's older brother is getting married and he's asked me to be one of his wives bridesmaids! I won't be there very long, because well classes, but it should be fun. Especially since my bf's anniversary gift to me was tickets to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! So, I'm updating now because Friday is the wedding, Sat is HP, and Sunday I come home so you see where I'd have like no time to update anything...
> 
> If you're curious to see what your dear author looks like, I'll be likely posting pics of my weekend and my outfits and all on my art/story tumblr youngbloodlex22.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS SO LATE I KNOW! But, on the plus side, you'll get the next chapter in only 2/3 days!

And such the stares or comments continued. Katara really hated being the first person Zuko went on a 'date' with, even if he didn't see it that way and neither did she. It had all stemmed from his concern for her, and then everyone just blew it way out of proportion. They did have dinner together, she supposed, but if Katara called eating with another person a date, well, she'd been on lots then. And note, she hadn't.

Mai returned and was unsurprisingly stoic about it. Most girls didn't even try to worm anything from her. Katara wished they would, just so people would get off of her back!

They all met in the ladies' room for an evening lesson because the Royal Family had business to attend to and would not be having a formal dinner.

"Before we begin, I'd like to announce something that will start tomorrow. We realize that every girl here was raised in different ways and no two people have the same skills or knowledge. However, it is fitting for a future Fire Lady to have a hand in many bowls of knowledge, even just a trifle, and of some information, it is imperative to know. So, we will have a guest lesson every day-voluntary- that will teach everything from proper dining etiquette to how to recognize safe tea leaves in the wild. It might also break up the day to day life here, while the Prince continues with his own choosing. I would say that if you do not know a subject, do not judge it outright, but take this opportunity to gain a new skill."

Katara bit the inside of her cheek. She felt as though Zhi was looking at her often during this announcement. So what if she didn't get proper training on things in the South? She was on the verge of being offended until she saw the excitement in many of the girls' eyes.

Her crusade oozed away from her. She actually was a Princess, by definition, so she did probably have some skills above these women here, such as politics and language. She hadn't taken the time to formally ask around, but now that she thought about it, only a few girls were actually nobility. A lot of the girls, like Jin, were just plebeians. She was probably considered higher-class than most here, sans maybe Yue.

And, the idea of doing something, learning something, did excite her.

"And now, onto a history lesson. Of all things, it is important to know these details, since they are the fabric of our Palace." Zhi said, and Katara blinked to wake herself up a couple times. She kept her face impassive. She wondered how different this narrative would be compared to the one that was used as scary stories for children that were told in her tribe?

All of the girls were given scraps of parchment and brushes in case they wanted to remember things more vividly. Indeed, how Zhi told it was vastly different than how Katara would have told it. In Zhi's world, the history really began only about 100-ish years ago, when Avatar Roku was friends with Fire Lord Sozin.

She told it like this: At that point, the Four Nations all lived and existed in somewhat harmony, but Sozin was intelligent and saw the instability of the world as it was. He set out to unite the four nations under one so that they would have a more efficient world with less death, less famine, and less trouble. The nations would all be united as brothers and sisters, instead of uneasy neighbors. But, once Avatar Roku left to master the four elements he lost sight of his homeland, and when Sozin tried to convince his friend of his mission, Roku failed to see the brilliance in it. Nevertheless, Sozin persisted, and through truth and hard effort, he managed to have the Earth Kingdom join under him, and the Nothern Water Tribe after that too. Roku remained a difficult ally to convince, but Sozin would always try to help his friend. At Roku's death, when his volcano exploded, Sozin valiantly tried to save his best friend, as he was loyal and just, but Roku refused his help. This ended the Avatar Cycle and Sozin continued to make a more prosperous world for everyone.

At this point, a couple hands went up, Saya's first.

"What about the Air Nomads?" She asked, voice even. Zhi only smiled at her tone.

"An awful sickness washed through them, and they were just too remote for anyone to do anything. By the time we caught wind, there were none left. I didn't include it because this is History of the Fire Nation, not the history of the world."

But, as far as Katara could tell, Zhi's story was the world to the Fire Nation. Saya didn't seem satisfied. Katara wasn't much either.

"But-," She began again.

"Saya, if you bring up that awful rumor that we somehow killed them off?" Zhi looked green at the idea, "Child, I have no idea who would be telling you such things, but it's a bold lie. We wanted peace, not war."

Kilee slid a look to Yue. Thank spirits it didn't seem like the other Water Tribe girls believed that load of garbage. Katara was sure the Fire Nation had a hand in the Air Nomads' deaths, but she wasn't sure how.

"So," Caecillia said without being called on, "What's the Fire Nation's opinion on Avatars then?"

"Well, we'd love them. They did, after all, keep the Four Nations in harmony, which is all we want." Zhi said. Katara had a feeling she really believed all this. That somehow made it worse.

"But Avatar Roku was a traitor," Ratana spoke up.

"True," Zhi agreed, "And while there is that fear that Roku may speak to the next one- if there were one- we'd hope they were intelligent enough to also think for themselves." Zhi shook her head, "There won't be one, though, darling. There are no more airbenders left. Pity, truly."

"What about the Southern Water Tribe? You didn't talk about them. Are they not under the Fire Nation?" Toph asked, actually sounding curious. Excited, more so.

"Well, of course-," Zhi began, but Katara couldn't imagine sitting quietly for this, not when her father was the leader and by extension, so was she!

"No, we're not." Everyone looked at her. It was the first time she was glad about that. "We are still neighbors with the Fire Nation. We trade with them," and trade was rather a strong word, but Katara didn't dare admit the truth. "We have our agreements but we are not under their laws," she said firmly. She met eyes with Zhi, who looked displeased that she had lost her place on top here, as the authority. Katara narrowed her eyes. She dared Zhi to argue this fact. If she did, Katara would break down Zhi's image of the Fire Nation as a non-militaristic nation by describing the slaughter of her people that had happened when she was three.

"Well," Zhi said in a loud tone, "Katara is here with us now, isn't she? And doesn't that say something?" Her eyes were feral. She'd won.

Katara wanted to leave suddenly, to hurl. This entire time she'd been thinking that she was using them here to gain insight, but what if she was the pawn instead? What if her coming here was just a ploy to bring her father to his knees at Ozai's throne? She was sure Zuko knew nothing of this, he seemed too pure and kind to be honest, but she felt very unsafe here. Ozai could kidnap her in the night, send pieces of her back to her father as threats. She could already be five steps behind him. She felt sick and she knew she needed to speak to Zuko as soon as possible.

She was a strong girl, but Katara could only do so much in this unfamiliar territory.

"And, moving on," Zhi said, moving away from Katara's concerned face, "to today! Well, this era. Sozin had done a grand job of keeping the peace, something his sons have both been instrumental in."

"Isn't Iroh older than Ozai? So wouldn't Lu Ten be the Prince?" Eva asked.

A flicker of a connection was made in Katara's brain, like someone making a fire. Ah, the boy beside Iroh must be Lu Ten, his son and therefore Zuko's cousin. One mystery solved, she thought to herself.

"Azulon only died about eight years ago. While Iroh is a powerful man, and many may know him as the Dragon of the West, there were doubts if he'd be the right one and the right family line to lead this nation. There was a discussion that Ozai's name had been changed to the heir, but Azulon was an old man and some questioned this change. So, an Agni Kai was set up for the future of the throne between Lu Ten and Zuko. Although Zuko was very young- only fourteen- and Lu Ten was twenty-one, I hear it was quite the match! Zuko came out on top, even though he sustained his wound on his eye." Zhi tapped her face, "We see it as a sign of a true leader. He fought, even though such a horrible burn. It's a source of honor in the Palace."

Katara frowned, she hadn't known this. It spoke volumes to Zuko's character. She couldn't imagine being fourteen and doing something like that!

"Since it was Zuko who won the Agni Kai, Ozai's line was given seniority. But, it was agreed that Zuko rightfully won and his father is more or less holding the throne. When he picks a wife and marries her, not long after he will be installed as the rightful Fire Lord. While both of Iroh and Ozai went through their own selection and their wives had to wait years for that title, one of you may be getting it very soon."

Katara ignored the squeals among her. No wonder Azula was making a grab for the throne, she was running out of time to do so.

The rest of the history lesson was more or less propaganda and fanciful tales. Katara leaned back in her chair, wondering how she could get the Prince's attention and if he'd even know anything. Maybe she was imaging all this, the nation using her. Then again, one could never be too careful when it came to her life.

For the first time, she let Sokka's voice spring up, telling her how foolish and stupid this was, how she'd probably go and get herself killed. Darn, he'd been right, hadn't he? She couldn't get his 'I told you so', which she'd heard many times before, to stop playing on repeat in her mind.

If she couldn't talk to Zuko, maybe she could talk to her brother, however. See what things were like on his side of the world. Maybe the threats were already coming? Katara couldn't be sure her messages were making it home in their entirety, so perhaps it had already begun?

She kicked herself on all the safeguards she should have been keeping that she hadn't been. She knew better. The faux-safety of the palace had gotten to her. She forgot she had to be wary of inside threats too.

-THEPRINCESCHOICE-

As it turned out, for the first time, Zuko was pretty much impossible for Katara to talk to. Which is what she wanted, right? Well, except for the fact she was paranoid right now. But she was capable, wasn't she? She just had to be extra on-guard from now on and stay with the group. One night, she confided her fears to Toph, because she knew Toph could feel if anyone was stealing her away in the night.

"I got your back, sugar queen," Toph assured, "No one will be hoodwinking this princess."

"Do you think I'm imagining it?" She asked, wondering if she was so used to fearing the Fire Nation that she was making problems where there weren't any. Toph shook her head slowly. She dropped her teasing tone completely.

"Not at all." Toph crossed her arms. "I have no doubt that Ozai wasn't jumping for joy when you came and that he isn't looking at this wondering how he can get your tribe as his last notch on his ledger."

"Oh." Hearing someone else voice it made it sound real.

"I might be 'under' him, but I'm with you, sister!" Toph said, "And Suki would be too if we told her. Plus Smellerbee, who was a Freedom Fighter."

"A what?"

"Spirits, I forget you grew up under a glacier. Freedom Fighters are a premiere 'stick it to ya' group that blow up Fire Nation guard settlements and are trying to free Earth Kingdomers. It's not as pretty as a picture as Zhi paints."

"I got that. So how's she here?"

"Smellerbee? She's just good at hiding her identity with them. I think her reasons for being here are political. She thinks the prince is hot, and wouldn't say no to being his wife, but she'd be whispering in his ear to free the Earth Kingdom the whole time. So, she'd side with you...if we needed it."

"Toph," Katara said in a mocking voice, "The Fire Nation is non-confrontational."

"What a load of bull," Toph snorted. "We both know that they're not. And we're right in the middle of it, girl."

On that note, Katara couldn't agree more. She felt a little safer, knowing she had people she could rely on if things got ugly. She had faith in Zuko too, because he was just getting to know other girls, but she didn't take his lack of attention for a lack of friendship. Quite the opposite, in fact. It was still frustrating.

So, she wrote Sokka.

The day of the history lesson, she'd suggested via a letter they switch their communication. She'd sent a few messages back and forth with all her family, though Sokka the most. Sokka's first few messages followed this pattern: anger, telling her to just come back, horror when she told him she was going to have to stay, more horror when she told him she was going to stay as long as she could, and then anger again. Her parents expressed similar sentiments, although, more subtle. They were all worried, though, which was fair. She was glad they were, in a strange way.

She'd asked Sokka for just updates on life there, like, the notes from his job. Sokka was in charge of numbers of things. He was great at the politics that was a strategy. She couldn't ever play a game of anything against him because he always won. He could look at data and be five steps ahead. He looked at their counts of stock and figured out how much someone got and all.

Katara was the other side of politics, the people side, which Sokka was shit at. He was either too nervous in front of people or way to confident, and both sides ended with failure. Katara, however, could throw on another face, another person if need be. She rarely got to use that though. She was asked by her father to make the hunting patrols. She could see without asking when someone was pushed, she could tell if a woman was pregnant before anyone else, she could tell which two people were in a spat and shouldn't be put on a mission together. She was proud of her job.

She asked to switch to a language she and Sokka had made up in their youth. She made sure to tell Sokka to be explicit and detailed about his notes. She wasn't sure if people were reading these, and whether they were censoring things. Now they'd have to crack the code and if they did, she wanted it to be so boring they let it go through.

And, she wanted to know, truly. Sokka took it as a sign of homesickness, but Katara told him she wasn't coming back yet.

The first couple letters she got were really boring, but it gave her things to do, as it took time to translate this letter- hours, at best. And, their language was more based around war-games as children, so it didn't quite lend to describing how many barrels of salted fish they had. Sokka was very creative with finding alternatives, and it made Katara laugh. Maybe they needed to re-vamp their language, just a bit, and so they started to do that too so that he didn't have to keep referring to the rabbits as 'entrails of the enemies' in his letters.

But, when she started to describe her fears about being used here, she knew that their language would convey to Sokka perfectly what she meant. She didn't write to her parents about this. As much as Sokka would forever be saying 'I told you', he wouldn't squeal on her. Not when they were both adults and she was asking, begging, for his opinion. He'd keep it between them unless something really bad happened. It was just unfounded theories right now.

She expected his next letter after her admission to be furious, misspelled and sent out swiftly. Instead, it was nearly two whole days before his letter returned, and when it was, it was calm and well-penned. In between a discussion of how to evolve their language was his careful consideration of the subject.

"Your position there is invaluable, especially if they were going to stage something," Sokka pointed out, "And I know you're strong, and a fighter. If there are people there you really can trust to help you, I think you should just think it through."

Katara sat back, biting her lip. She'd been nearly ready to call it quits, tell Zuko she couldn't stay and go home.

There was another letter, sent not long after, and it was much shorter.

"Kat, if you need to come home, I'll support you. If you stay, I'll support you. Whatever, your choice."

She re-read it a couple times, as short as it was. She bit her lip when he used 'Kat', something Sokka only did when he was being completely goofy or completely serious. She had a feeling it was the latter. Hearing Sokka's support convinced her to just be much more alert but to continue to stay. Ozai hadn't done much other than mock her. Maybe that's all he planned to do?

She didn't see Zuko for a week and a half, which perhaps was a good thing. While she could tell he didn't get along with his father, she feared that if she'd been so adamant as she had been the first day about his father's motives, it could upset him. He might not believe her, not without any proof to show him. She, instead, was able to contemplate the best way to bring it up to him, if she was going to at all.

Zuko, in the meantime, seemed to be doing rounds of girls. She heard all about it in the ladies' room, the fabulous dates he was taking the contestants on. Walks through the fabric district in town, tea and treats on the rooftop, a visit to the town's library, swimming in the relaxation pools...it all seemed very glamorous, compared to their quiet 'date'. She hoped that Zuko was having just as much as these girls seemed to be having.

He took a girl out every day, if not two, and it seemed he'd made a good effort not to run into Katara. She could tell because one day, when she was coming back from the ladies' bathroom late at night, she saw him dropping Suki off and she waved. He turned red, turned around, and didn't say a word to her.

"He's so strange," Suki rolled her eyes, seeing the interaction, "But nice, at least."

Katara snorted. She hadn't meant he should turn-tail whenever they were in the same room, she just meant he should be talking to other girls.

"Yeah, spirits, you'd think he's never dated anyone."

"And now he's dating like twenty-eight of us! Poor boy," Suki clucked her tongue.

"How was your date?" Katara asked.

"It was wonderful," Suki grinned, "He took me to an authentic Kyoshi restaurant in town. I didn't even know they had those," She admitted, "I think he's making a really big effort to do something each girl would like, not just generic things."

"He seems to be doing a good job," Katara smiled, "Does he seem...okay to you? Tired? Is he enjoying himself?"

"If he wasn't, he was pretty good at hiding it," Suki blushed a little. "If he knew you were concerned, I'm sure he'd be touched though. It's easy to forget he's a person too, and he has to be nice and remember information for a big lot of us."

"What a friend's for, I suppose," She sighed, "I told him he should focus on other girls...which, clearly, he's doing."

Suki didn't make much of a noise, but instead asked, "Do you want to spar tomorrow? Or just train?"

Katara looked up, "Oh? Sure, yeah, that would be great."

The next morning was a great day; in the morning the air wasn't unbearably humid as it often was, but instead carried a slight breeze. Katara stood in the garden, letting the wind tickle over her skin. She smiled, for a second forgetting why she came out until Suki threw her fans softly at her.

"We can do this later…" Suki said, raising an eyebrow.

"No, no. Just...admiring. I can't say I love the weather here, but days like this are nice."

"Most Fire Nation citizens would be putting on parkas today," Suki barked out a laugh, "But this is the average temperature in the Earth Kingdom."

"One day, maybe I'll visit," Katara said, "But for now…"

They didn't spar together as much as they practiced in tandem. While the workings of Earth Bending versus Water Bending were two totally different movements, there was a fluidity in the Kyoshi's movements that Katara was familiar with. Even if they weren't practicing the same thing, Katara was glad to have a partner. Suki seemed equally pleased.

"Oh, I miss being with people and doing this," She sighed, "There's something to seeing everyone move the same way…There's Andica, but she's just started," Suki said.

"Andica's from Kyoshi?" When Katara thought about it, they did look similar in ways.

"We're related in the way everyone on the island is." She gave a dry laugh, "She hadn't really done much when our name came up for this. She's not a natural, but I applaud her for trying." Katara could see Suki was really trying to be kind.

"We could get Toph out here, but that might really be interesting."

"Toph?" Suki gave Katara a very confused look.

"Yeah, she's an earthbender…" Katara trailed off.

"That tiny thing?" Suki seemed shocked and a little scandalized. Katara paused, realizing that most of everyone else's interactions with her were with the perfect little heiress that Katara had once thought she was.

"Erm, forget I said it," Katara bit her lip.

"No! Now I'm really curious. An earthbender...usually, the ones I know of are a little more...I dunno, rough." Suki considered. Katara let out a sound that was a chuckle before she swallowed it. Yet, Suki heard.

"Well, she's just...pretending. If you knew her like I did...she's a little shit most of the time." Katara admitted. Suki gave an unbelieving shake of her head.

"I'll believe that when I see it."

"Hey!" An unfamiliar voice called to them across the courtyard. Katara turned to see Alcina and Dhakiya trotting over, "Can we join you? Maybe spar a bit?" She asked. She clicked her fingers and a flame appeared at the tips.

"You're a firebender?" Katara said in half-question, half-realization. To be honest, she didn't know who was a bender outside of herself and Toph. There had to be a few when she really thought about it. If she was truly curious, she could ask Zuko, if he ever looked at her again. That was bitter, she winced inwardly since he did want to know about these girls. She was just being upset because she still felt the urge to discuss things with him.

"And you?" Suki had turned to Alcina's twin.

"Firebender, what else?" Alcina spoke before Dhakiya could answer. She leaned in, quietly, "But she's not very good. She hasn't really gotten a flame out, but, I mean, I don't want to discourage her." She said.

"I can hear you," Dhakiya said, tapping her foot, "Our master at home says if I continue doing the steps, eventually something warm will happen. I'm not in a rush though. Firebending is more Al's thing."

"Sure! Of course, you can join us," Suki said enthusiastically. She looked back because Katara had been silent, "Right, Katara?"

Katara pushed aside the fear that had wedged itself into her chest, unwanted. It was the fear that had been instilled in her from a young age, a fear of firebending. But it wasn't all bad. She'd seen Zuko do a little. And, these girls were nice, from what she knew.

"Yes," Katara squeaked out, shaking her head, "I'd love to see some moves."

So, while Zuko went on dates, Katara found herself dueling in the gardens. Once a couple came forward, more did. Toph came out once to shake the earth, but still continued her 'good, little girl' act and didn't even attempt a portion of what Katara knew she was capable of. Katara, who had told Toph that Suki knew, saw Toph shoot Suki the finger and a wink as she was leaving. Suki looked like someone who'd just seen their parents naked all day; to say, deeply concerned and a little less innocent. Anaselma came out as another earthbender, a fairly competent one as far as Katara could tell. Ty Lee even bounced out, ignoring Mai's attempts to restrain her, joining Suki as another non-bending fighter. The two of them sparred and honestly, it was a tie. It was one of the most terrifying things Katara had ever seen.

"You move like you don't even have bones!" Suki said, elated.

"You move like a viper." Ty Lee replied, grinning just as large.

When they weren't doing that, which they did most of the day, Katara did indeed go to a few of the 'lessons' that were being held. She didn't have to go to the first one, calligraphy and ink writing. She'd learned that young, which even Toph seemed a little taken aback to realize.

"Where do you think squid ink comes from?" Katara asked, referring to one of the more luxurious writing products.

"Huh," Toph scratched her head. "Suppose that's true."

Katara did go to the next two- Dining Etiquette and Basics to Old Fire Tongue- and she was relieved to see that there was a large number of girls, eager to learn, at both lessons. She didn't feel out of place at all and actually learned something at each of them.

So, even though a week and a half passed without seeing Zuko at all, she was fully occupied with writing her brother, lessons, and sparring. It felt natural, it felt like she was getting a groove back into her life. She'd appreciated the rhythm of lists back home, always keeping her hands busy, always doing things around the same time. While this wasn't a perfect replacement, it at least made her feel like she was doing worthwhile things here.

Around that tenth day or so, she came back from a bath to find Pan in her room. Thank spirits she'd changed into clothes in the wash, but a squeak of surprise still came out of her lips the same.

"Oh, Princess Katara! Aiga told me you often were doing physical activity during this time." The part of his neck peering out from his collar was rapidly turning red.

"Yeah, I heard there was a letter from my brother, so I came back early," She said, frowning, "Why are you here? He's okay, isn't he?"

"So-kah?" He pronounced her brother's name strangely, but she was too worried now to care. What if their letters had gotten him hurt, "No, as far as I know, he's fine. It seems you've made up with your family." He said.

"Yeah, well, they love me, deep down, you know?" Katara rolled on her feet, "Why are you here, again?" She asked, knowing he hadn't given her an answer yet.

"I just came to tell you the good news," Pan looked practically giddy.

"Good news?" She frowned.

"Yes! According to the people's poll, you are the number one choice for Zuko's wife."

Katara's towel slipped through her fingers.

"What?" She frowned.

"The townspeople love that you stood up to the rebels. They're thrilled. It means a lot, you know, to get the public's vote." He said, locking his fingers.

"It...does? But, doesn't Zuko…?"

"Well, yes, he decides a lot but I wouldn't count out the appeal of his people's thoughts," He pointed out, "You should feel relieved. I realize that his father may not like you, but he'll have to have a good reason to get rid of you now."

Katara winced, "Does everyone know O-Fire Lord Ozai's thoughts?"

"Regrettably," Pan gave her a sympathetic look, "But, most feel as though he's unfounded, you know?" He set down a missile on her table, most likely the announcement that she was number one, "It's quite the honor to us, too."

"You and Liao?" Katara mumbled.

"Well, there is an envoy of us, set out to pick the Prince's choices. It reflects most favorably on us for bringing you in. We would get an award if you were to become an elite for our judgment. So, suffice to say, we're with you Katara."

Katara swallowed thickly, she didn't want to tell him she wasn't planning on staying long enough to become an elite.

"And to become the wife! Before, it was just a simple daydream, but now?" Pan shook his head, "Of all the girls, no one thought." He patted Katara's shoulder as he left, "For your achievement, there will be a special dessert tonight for you." He said gleefully before exiting.

Katara groaned. To be put in the spotlight...once again. Perfect.

She read the missile Pan had left first. She was number one, he hadn't lied. It was only a list of the top five. Toph was three, as her name and family heritage had apparently preceded her. Mai was, surprisingly, number four...as one Fire citizen put it, she was the 'picture of a well-bred Fire Nation lady'. Number two was Nadhari, who apparently was something of a big thing in the Earth Kingdom, and number five was Yue, because how could he go wrong with a princess?

Katara was adamant about not going to group dinner that night- she was not going to be singled out again. By the time dinner came around, she actually felt ill. Whether it was in her mind or real, she didn't care, because she apparently looked pale enough to worry Aiga.

"I just don't think I can go to dinner tonight," Katara whispered, lying on her bed.

"But, you're the number one pick-," Aiga's lip quivered. If it was a big deal for Pan and Liao, she imagined it must be for Aiga too.

"How about you bring the dessert-whatever it was going to be- back and we can share it together tonight?" Katara offered, sitting up on her bed.

"Don't you want to share it with some of your other friends?"

"I'm not going, Aiga." Katara said firmly, "Besides, they didn't help me reach that number one spot, did they?" She added gently, "I'd really like to share it with you."

It wasn't even a lie. She could see the excitement spread across Aiga's face.

"Well, since you do look pale and feel a little warm," Aiga said quietly, "I'll be back in a couple hours."

"Yes, thank you," Katara said.

She did lay in bed, because her stomach was doing all sorts of twists and such, but decided to decode Sokka's message instead. She lay on her stomach, biting on the tip of her brush and, on occasion scribbling the equivalent on a scrap piece of parchment, working her way through the plans for new housing that they were Building. Now that people weren't spending all of their time hunting to appease the Fire Nation, they had some huts that needed reconstruction. And, in general, their numbers grew in the spring. There had been four women expecting when Katara left. The weather was perfect for it; warmer in the day to make the snow packed and slightly wet, but then would drop down at night and freeze over the previous day's work. Sokka lamented that Katara wasn't there, since the job always went faster when she helped, but said they'd just solider on. He'd sent the schematics for new huts and places they were adding on. They were her mother's drawings, thank spirits because Sokka's wouldn't even have looked like houses. After helping with construction for years, Katara had learned a thing or two and scrawled some notes here or there to send back about how to most effectively go about this endeavor.

The door opened. Katara checked the sky outside.

"I thought you wouldn't be back until later, Aiga."

"Are you really sick?"

Katara nearly jumped out of her bed.

"Prince Zuko?" she stuttered. He frowned.

"Since when am I 'Prince' to you in private?" He asked, shaking his head.

"Zuko," She corrected. She'd just gotten used to using his title among others since that was most polite. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I went looking for you at dinner, to say congratulations," He turned her way, "You must have heard."

"Yeah," She hugged a pillow to her chest.

"But Aiga said you were sick. I was worried."

"It's probably nothing," Katara assured him, which was true, "Just an upset stomach. Aiga's bringing my 'reward' later tonight."

"I'll admit, I also wanted to find you for a different reas...what's this?" He said, picking up the scattered letter from the ground.

"Notes from home," Katara took them back.

"Is that a...food storage hut?" He asked, genuinely curious. Katara felt angry for a moment, but then swallowed back her reply. To him, this was tiny and not very regal looking, she realized. I mean, she was currently sleeping in a palace.

"Our houses, actually. We make them from ice and pelts. Don't even say it, I know, we sound-,"

"Cozy," He interrupted her, smiling softly.

"I was going to say unrefined...savages…" She took a breath.

"Different ways of life. Is that your native tongue?" He asked, pointing to Sokka's letter, "Our guards have had a hell of a time getting through it, to say, not at all."

"So you do read them," Katara's eyes narrowed angrily.

"Well, yeah," Zuko rolled his eyes, "What if you were writing about how to assassinate me?" He asked, "I'm a prince. And with the rebels...can't be too safe."

"Oh, I guess," Katara still was a little upset, "It's a made-up language. And I'm not going to show you it." She said firmly.

"Let them struggle. I doubt you're going to compromise your position here." He said honestly.

"So, you said you were looking for me?" Katara prompted.

"Yeah, well-this is pretty." He had strolled over to Katara's desk and picked up her necklace. Something about seeing him holding it made Katara's stomach twist more, although not in the same way it had before.

"It's a family necklace. Traditionally it's a betrothal necklace." She said. Zuko's eyes widened.

"You're not...it's…" He stuttered out.

"Mine, as in, someone made it for me?" Katara could have laughed, "One, that would be breaking rules here, now wouldn't it? Two, I would have dumped him when I left. Three, not many guys were rushing to date me, and four, it was passed down to me."

"I find it hard to believe that guys didn't want to date you," Zuko was still holding it, smirking.

"You and I both know what they really wanted," Katara said, and enjoyed seeing the way his ears turned pink, "But I didn't have the pretty dresses or makeup that I have here. I was like another guy. Sort of unapproachable."

"I don't just like you for your make up and dresses," Zuko said quietly. Katara hopped off the bed.

"I know. You like me because I'm normal, a friend," She said, taking it back from him, "Anyway, it was my grandmother's, who gave it to my mom, who gave it to me. Reminds me of home." She drew the pad of her finger over the carved material.

"So, that's a common engagement gift," Zuko said, staring hard at it.

"A carved circle, yes," Katara said, "There's tons of variation."

"And does Northern Water Tribe also do this?" He said, curious.

"As far as I know. Why?"

"Well, there's a tradition in Fire Nation too, one I'm sure you'll learn about. No one has ever won that hasn't been from Fire Nation, the Choice, I mean," Zuko paced a couple times, "I just wouldn't want to disrespect whoever I picked. I'd want to honor their culture. Does the Earth Kingdom have one? Damn, I'm sure they do. I mean, anyone could win."

"Wouldn't your father like a Fire Nation girl, like Mai?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Deep down, she was touched Zuko was so sensitive about traditions. She'd be honored if she actually liked him like that.

"Probably," Zuko snorted, "But there are a lot of other really amazing girls here." He frowned, sitting on her bed, "Where was I?"

"Why you were-,"

"Oh, of course." A water bending scroll rolled toward him, "Oh, this is-,"  
"Zuko," Katara pressed her fingers to her nose in frustration and mild humor, "Can you finish a singular thought?"

"I'm just curious," Zuko looked down, "I know you, the person, but a bedroom says a lot about them."

There was a pause, "I didn't mean it like that." He added.

"People will begin to get the wrong idea, just about that, if anyone sees you in here." She said. He shrugged.

"Shut the door then," He seemed mostly unconcerned. She did as he suggested.

"You're not worried about sullying my purity via rumors?" She asked.

"If anything, you'd be the one to 'sully my purity', as you say," Zuko was examining the scroll, "We both know I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Zuko-,"

"Fine, fine. I came here because I've realized this week, one, I miss talking to you. Two, we need a way to communicate about these girls without having to meet face to face, or they will talk."

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing." Katara sat next to him, tapping her chin. Zuko looked back at her letters to Sokka.

"Letters, erm, notes." Zuko said, eyes brightening up, "Stashed in the trunk of the tree you froze me to. I'm with the girls around here enough I can get to it, or you and I both know I get around at night." He said. Katara snickered.

"Not in the way girls hope, though."

"You're awful," He muttered, "But yes."

Katara considered it. "How will we know that there's a note there? I mean, if you're checking all the time, it's bound to become obvious and I won't always have a note to leave."

"You wear the necklace fairly often, don't you?" Zuko asked suddenly.

"Zuko, focus! We can discuss traditions later."

"No, I'm saying, do you...touch it often?" He asked awkwardly.

"Not usually. If I'm not wearing it, I'm touching where I feel it should be, like now, but when it's there...it's just, there."

"Well, if you play with it around me, that could be a sign."

Katara thought about it. She went over to her desk and started to put it on. Zuko was behind her in an instant.

"Let me," he offered. His breath was hot on her neck as she raised her hair up. She felt the warmth of Zuko's fingers brush against her neck, and involuntarily the hairs on her arms rose up and her cheeks flushed. His body was brushing close to hers as he did the tiny clasp, affixing it for her.

"So, like, if I do this?" Katara turned, trying to get her breathing in order as she gently played with the circle.

"Yeah, then I'll know you have something for me." He said, "And if I have a question I've left for you about someone… I need a sign."

"Touch your scar?" She asked, and when he flinched, she wondered if she'd gone too far.

"No," His voice was more even than she expected, "I scratch it a lot. You wouldn't guess it, but it's itchy as hell." She could tell that he was attempting to put humor into her comment.

"I'm sorry. We heard that you got it against Lu Ten for the throne."

Zuko looked at his feet. She could see his fists clench and then relax.

"I'm sure there's a lot that was left out," His voice was rough, "History is so...this to this to this. There's so much more about what happened."

Katara took a step forward, "I'd like to hear it if you'd tell me."

Zuko looked up, seemingly touched by her offer, "One day. Not today." He gave a soft shake of his head.

"Okay. I'm a good listener, so if you ever need to talk, just about anything, not just girls, you can write that too." She said. She took another step forward, "Zhi also said it was a symbol of pride, your scar. But...have you ever tried healing it?"

"You don't think the day of that I-," He broke off, biting his lip, "Of course we fucking tried, Katara," He didn't sound angry at her. "But it just wouldn't go away. So, we made up some bull to why I'd still have it."

Katara turned away suddenly and she could feel how Zuko deflated from her closeness. Instead, she rummaged in her bag for a tiny vial on a necklace. She turned around and found her just as close- if not closer- than she'd been before. She held it up for him to see.

"When my mother was pregnant with me, there were complications. They thought I'd be lost. So my grandmother wrote to someone at the Northern Water Tribe and they sent us this, a vial of spirit water. Luckily, my mom didn't need it, but she gave it to me, in case I'd need it one day. It has special properties. It can save you from death, I hear," She inched closer. Her finger reached out, tentatively, and cupped his scar. Zuko froze, and she almost took her hand away until his fingers came up, over hers, keeping it there.

"Don't waste it on me," He whispered, "I've survived like this for a long time, Katara," He said. Katara's heart beat rapidly, and she was inches away from his face, "No one's ever touched my scar, except my mother." He admitted, "People are afraid of it."

"I don't mind it." She said, "It's just skin. It's sort of handsome," She said, unsure where the hell that just came from. But it was. She liked him with it, although he'd be even more handsome without it and- woah, she needed to stop right there. In an effort, she moved. She withdrew her fingers, but not her body. Something in her wouldn't let her feet take a step back, though it seemed Zuko wasn't able to either. There was just hot air between them and not much else. He leaned an inch forward and-

The sound of a door slamming near them broke them out of their trance. Zuko coughed, turning away. Katara hastily put away the vial.

"Right, so, signal, me, you," Zuko managed to get out a couple words that almost sounded like a sentence.

"Whew, yeah, that." Katara was just as shaken. She pushed down her hair, taking three gulps of air in. Zuko played with his little crown.

"What about that?" She said, noting it, "I haven't seen it until now."

"I guess I don't take this out very often. If you see me touch it, take it out for a second, you'll know. I don't want to lose it- drop it or otherwise surrender it to ladies who push me off roofs-," Luckily they seemed to recover back to their light banter, "So yes, that's a good choice."

"So, I'm here because I do have questions. Or I wouldn't have thought of it." Zuko kicked the carpet with his slippered foot lightly. Katara motioned for him to sit next to her on the bed. He smirked.

"Afraid of rumors?" He asked, tilting his head. Katara shrugged her shoulders, lifting her arms in a 'well, too late to care now' sort of way. They still were inches apart, but she could feel the mattress shift under his weight.

"Avizeh," Zuko started, "She seemed okay on the date, but a little...too nice." He struggled, "Fake nice."

"Well, I haven't talked to her much," Katara admitted, "I do know that she's really nice to her two younger siblings. She keeps a portrait of them in her room and she writes more than I write to Sokka. They're little, like, five and eight. She can't be that bad if she loves them." Katara, more often than not, found small children an irritation. Which was unfortunate because she was really good with them.

"True, true." Zuko clicked his tongue, "Andica?"

"She's young. That's her cross to carry. She may not be the youngest, but she is the most immature. So," Katara pursed her lips, "I see a person of worth there, but, are you going to want to wait for it?"

"Yeah." Zuko rubbed the back of his neck, "Last one-Bahiravi." Without meaning to, Katara flinched. Zuko noticed it, narrowing his eyes.

"Weellll…" Katara sighed. Yesterday, after word had begun to get around that Katara was sparring or bending or just practicing with anyone that wanted to at noon, she'd come out with Alcina to see Bahiravi sitting on a blanket, an elaborate spread of treats and teas in front of her.

"Oh my," She'd said in faux concern, "I didn't...oh, you had your little playdate today, didn't you?" She said, "And here I am, taking up your space."

"I dunno why you're like this, you're a firebender too," Alcina bared her teeth, "Besides, there's a lot of other space." She said to Katara.

"I don't need practice, honey." Bahiravi had set down her teacup, "And, about space…" She turned, shrugging. Katara followed her gaze to see many other non-benders setting out blankets. While Katara had no idea if they were complicit in Bhairavi's plan or not. Katara turned back to face the black-haired girl, humming quietly. She knew a plot when she saw one.

"Well," Katara said evenly, placing a hand on Alcina's shoulder, "We can always practice later."

"But tonight's the-," Alcina began, growing warmer by the minute, staring at Bahiravi.

"Oh, dear, tonight they're doing lawn work and we're banned from outside?" Bhairavi tapped her chin, "Oops."

"You little-,"

"Hey, hey. Not worth it," Katara shoved Alicna away, "She'll get what's coming to her."

She hadn't been prepared to tell Zuko the whole story since it seemed quite silly now, but there were tensions running very high all over the place. And, they could just practice later- as they had done today, but something about that gleam in her eyes made Katara want to freeze her to the ground.

"I didn't like our date," He admitted, "But my father has asked me to give her another chance. Her father is one of our suppliers of weapons and armor for the army,"

Katara muttered something along the lines of, 'oh, and we wouldn't want to upset that,' under her breath.

"No, we wouldn't," Zuko heard and replied icily, "Just because we're not at war now doesn't mean we won't be, Katara!"

"Against who?" Katara shot up, "Because you seem to have everyone under your thumb right now!"

"Well, not yo-," Zuko began to say, but broke off. At that moment, Katara was sure he knew. That he was in on whatever plan his father was planning. She stepped back involuntarily, and her movement caught Zuko's eyes. He watched her face for a second, confusion and slight hurt crossing his face.

"Katara, we're not going to attack your village." His voice was soft and caring. "Please, I don't want to see that look of fear on you. Not when you're so strong."

Katara hadn't realized she'd betrayed so much with her expressions.

"Are you sure," She asked, her voice quivering, "Are you sure that you're not going to?"

"What?" Zuko frowned, "Katara, of course!"

"Zuko," Katara reached out, grabbing his wrist. She could tell by the horrified look on his face that he, at least in some parts, was innocent of this, "I'm afraid, not of you, but of your father."

Zuko didn't reply, just watched her, lips slightly open and body rigid. She took it as a sign to continue, "It was all very strange, me coming here. I have to say, I was...pushed into it, a little tactfully. Even if Pan and Liao don't know. Even if everyone has been told under false pretenses. I realize that me, being here if your father did want to mount some sort of attack would be-,"

"You're not implying that this is all just a setup? For a tiny little patch of ice?" He yanked his hand away.

"Tiny patch of ice it may be, but we are the last remaining site of rebellion! You have to admit, that we pose a threat to your father, no matter how small we are! And I'm here, and I just have to trust that you all are going to keep me safe! I thought it was just the rebels but for the first time, I'm wondering if I can sleep the bed you've given me without having to keep one eye open!" She shouted back. She hadn't meant for to escalate, but her emotions just poured over, and she blinked. Water filled her vision.

Zuko's face was blank, "You have to realize," He said quietly, "That I have just as much reason to distrust you, too."

"What?" It was Katara's turn to feel like someone had punched her in the gut.

"You come here and within a day insert yourself into my life pretty perfectly. You make it clear that you're not a contender so I have a friend. Playing upon my loneliness," To hear him say it out loud made Katra's heart break, "And if your little patch of ice was going to try to free some colonies, or...or negotiate their freedom forever, all they'd need is someone to get close to the Prince. And you're a waterbender, and we all know what you can do if you're waterbender, then, puppe-," He broke off.

"What?" Katara frowned, narrowing her eyes, "I can do what?" Zuko seemed to search her face thoroughly before locking his jaw.

"Just-well, you have to admit, it's all very convenient." He said, eyes narrowing. She was too upset to realize he'd side-stepped her question completely.

"I'm not going to do that to you," Katara threw her hands out, "Are you crazy?"

"Well, I'm not going to murder you in your sleep," Zuko yelled back, just as furious, "And my father-,"

"Hates me." Katara answered icily, "So, fine, it's not you, but your dad...couldn't he?"

"No! I refuse to admit that he's just puppeteering me, not when I'm going to be the Fire Lord by the end of the year." He said firmly.

There was a silence that hung between them, as vast as the ocean that Katara had grown up on.

"So, what now?" She asked, a whisper, so much quieter than their previous volume.

"Do we just not trust each other anymore?" Zuko rubbed the back of his neck, "Fuck, I don't want to live like that. And I want to take you at your word like I'm sure you do at mine, but…"

"Yeah," Katara's mood was fouled. Once you distrusted someone, it never really came back, "Wait," Katara lifted her head from her hands, "Wait, I know...go tell the guards to get Toph, bring her back here."

"Katara, I really fail to see…"

"First step in trusting me, do this." Katara said firmly, "You'll see."

Zuko considered it for a moment, then summoned one of the guards near the double doors. "Can you please tell Lady Beifong to come to Princes Katara's room?" The guard nodded, going toward the dining hall. Neither Zuko nor Katara spoke until she arrived.

"Hey, Sugar Queen? Where the hell ya been? Announced the top of five of us, big deal, the whole shebang. Don't worry, I'm coming for your spot and-," She walked into the room, blind eyes bugging. Katara noticed she had probably been forced into her shoes with the soles still attached.

"Princess Katara, I missed you at dinner, I hope terribly you haven't come down with something," She switched into her 'good girl' role. Zuko looked completely confused.

"I think he heard you. The cover's blown, Toph."

"Dammit," She cussed and Zuko almost looked ill, "Hi, there. This is the real me," Toph grinned, waving to herself, "In all my cussing glory."

Zuko, instead, grinned. "Thank spirits. This version of you is much more interesting. I was beginning to wonder why Katara liked you so much. I take it your interests are not 'sewing, piano, and being read philosophy'?"

"Ugh, no. My mom wrote those. Really, they're kicking ass in earthbending, eating, and surprising the pants off people." She said.

"Toph," Katara said, interrupting her, "Zuko and I have come to a disagreement. We need to be sure we trust each other, that we're telling the truth about certain things. Can you lie detect?" She asked.

"You got it!" Toph said, enthusiastically chucking her boots.

"Wait, what?" Zuko said, "Lie detector?"

"Toph can tell where anyone is via her earthbending. She also can tell if someone's lying."

"It's all in your feet," Toph agreed. "Body temperature rises, you shake or twitch, the way your body moves...I know it all."

"I find it a little hard to believe that this is true," Zuko said, folding his arms.

"Fine, Sparky." Toph rolled her eyes. Zuko mouthed 'Sparky?' to Katara, who just shrugged, "Give me two truths and a lie, something I could never possibly know and I'll tell ya which one is the lie. Got it?"

"Is this necessary?" Zuko asked, looking at Katara.

"Well, it's not but, what you said before was right," Katara said quietly. Zuko frowned, sighing long and hard.

"Waiting," Toph tapped her foot.

"I have a tattoo on my hip, my middle name is Ozai, and I love spicy food." Zuko rattled off after thinking a moment.

"First one, true. Second two, lies. Trying to trip me up, eh?"

Zuko's eyebrow shot up, "Woah."

"Can we get on? I hear the dessert tonight is really good." Toph said, rubbing her hands together.

"Yeah. Zuko, I'm not here to usurp the throne. I am sending information back to my tribe, but only because we fear you. We're not planning something. I am here solely to get food for my tribe."

"She's telling the truth," Toph said.

Zuko narrowed his eyes, "Would you tell me if she wasn't?"

"Look, I want to stay here. I don't want to go home. Can't do that if you're usurped." Toph pointed out, "Plus, I don't wanna get caught up in this trouble," She waved a hand. Zuko seemed to trust her. Trust Katara maybe, too.

"I know no plans of my father's to attack or hurt you. To my knowledge, he's not trying to regain control of the Southern Water Tribe. If he were, I'd tell you."

"He's good too, can I go now?" Toph asked impatiently.

"Yeah, thanks, Toph. Sorry to use you like that,"

"Was fun. Any other night, I'd stick around." Toph waved a hand, "Still on for our date tomorrow, Sparky?"

"I'm assuming a poetry reading is not what you'd enjoy," Zuko's face blushed.

Toph clicked her tongue, nodding, "Well, you have half a night to figure something else out!"

When she left, the tension in the room seemed to have vanished. Katara did believe that he knew nothing, his goal was just to be her friend.

"So, tattoo?" She asked, grinning.

"You're not seeing it. I got it a year ago, on a dare."

"And the other two?" She questioned. Zuko chuckled lightly.

"People assume that's my middle name. I wasn't given one, officially. So, legal documents have it but it's not really true. Besides my family, no one else knew before. And, I just don't have a tongue for really spicy foods. I tolerate it because it's the Fire Nation way. Honestly, though? It all just starts to be a little one-note after a while."

"I feel so special to know these things," Katara joked, "I'll write it back to Sokka immediately. Imperative information about the Fire Nation."

There was a knock on the door.

"Prince Zuko, your mother is looking for you." It was a guard.

"Now, I think I've been here too long." He decided. Katara nodded, laying back down, "I hope your stomach feels better soon." Katara had nearly forgotten her half-lie.

"Mhh, me too." She agreed.

He paused, hovering for a second, "Katara," He said, "I swear on my life I will keep you safe here." He said. Then, abruptly, he left. Katara was left to think about that.

It meant a lot, the words he had said. Plucked from his mind very cautiously, very deliberately. It wasn't, you're safe here because he couldn't be sure of that. Already, she could see the doubt about his father swimming in his head. It was the idea that if his father was doing something nefarious, he'd protect her, he'd keep her safe. He'd be on her side. It also dispelled Katara fearing him. She'd seen how sick he looked at the idea that she was unsure of what he was going to do to her; it really got to him in a way she hadn't anticipated. It was now she considered how much he wanted to cleave himself away from his father's image and being fearful of Ozai was something everyone was. It was all so thought through, this promise.

This, she decided, was one of the kindest things he'd said yet. It meant a great deal, more so than she was willing to let herself admit right now.

A little while later, not long, Aiga knocked on the door. What she was carrying was something that did indeed look delectable: large and covered in chocolate.

"Ohh!" Katara jumped up, "That does look good."

"Are you sure you want me here?" Aiga set it down with a couple of forks, "I wouldn't be offended if you ate with some of the girls."

"Aiga," Katara said, holding a fork out to her, "They didn't get the number one spot and they certainly didn't help me get there. I wouldn't have this cake if not for you." There was honesty in Katara's plea; Aiga helped her pick out her clothes every morning, she set out the right makeup to wear, she whispered gossip or knowledge about the castle Katara would have never known herself. She helped Katara acclimate to life here, and Katara herself knew what a struggle this must be. Plus, she saw the golden smile hiding underneath the uneasiness. "You take the first bite." She insisted, "And we'll just sit here and talk like two girlfriends."

"Oh, my life wouldn't be interesting to you, I'm sure." Aiga took the fork.

"Aiga, back home, my daily schedule was fixing snow forts, skinning animals, and helping heal the sick. Trust me, I'd be interested." She said.

"Well," Aiga began as she forked off a large piece straight from the side, "There is some drama among the handmaids... "  
Katara carried the cake to her bed, "Let's hear it," She insisted with a smile. Aiga gave a true, girlish smile, perhaps the freest one Katara had ever seen on her.

And so, talk and eat cake they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, hopefully, the 'fire nation History' answered a few questions! I'm sure it didn't answer ALL, but there are some. And, cough, I'm not sure I'd take EVERYTHING Zhi said without a grain of salt...
> 
> Did anyone catch/can anyone guess the thing Zuko was going to say to Katara during their fight that was passed over?
> 
> I'm sure I had more notes on this chapter, but since editing stuff, they've vanished from my mind...
> 
> Oh! BTW some mentioned during their review that they didn't want to look what I thought the characters looked like because they had their own vision in mind. if you do, I'd be really interested to see what YOU think or YOU imagine the OCS to look like :)
> 
> Have a great weekend! Don't forget to review :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter came out not long ago, so if the last thing you recall is Fidelia getting kicked out, go back and read chapter 8!

I personally don't even like tea," Nadhari whispered to no one as the group of five girls were escorted down the hall for their 'Top Five' award.

"Last I checked, no one asked you," Mai said evenly.

"You could have always stayed behind," Katara added, annoyed. Annoyed at Nadhari, and annoyed (but mostly surprised) that she agreed with Mai on literally anything.

"Well, perhaps you've never had tea done right," Toph said, "I for one, like tea." Slowly, Katara could see 'normal Toph' slip under the 'good Toph' ruse. Katara figured that Toph thought that since Zuko knew, and was fine with it, why pretend anymore?

"I've had it done right," Nadhari said, tugging on her dress, "And I'd be an idiot to say no to a private meeting with the Prince's family, even if it is the weaker faction," She added softly.

"'Private' as in four others," Toph rolled her eyes. Katara bit her lip. She disliked how Nadhari talked, especially when it was so clear that Zuko adored his uncle and cousin. Besides, she had it on good authority that what Zhi was teaching them went down within Zuko's family wasn't all that had happened. Zuko would tell her, one day, but it seems like a touchy subject. She just has a hard time imagining someone seeing Iroh as 'weak'.

"Haven't you heard about how powerful his uncle is? And don't you live in Ba Sing Se?" Yue asked, a tone of slight mocking even poking through her usually kind voice.

Nadhari stiffened. "Why?"

"Well, we all know why," Mai laughed behind a hand, "Weaker, Iroh is not. You'll do well to bite your tongue." She instructed sharply. Katara wondered if Mai knew what had happened at the infamous fight. Either way, she'd grown up with this family, so she would know that Iroh was more than he seemed.

Nadhari muttered something no one paid attention to. Toph, walking behind her, stuck her tongue out. Yue even had to hide a laugh as a cough.

"What a treat, I don't know what Nadhari's talking about." Yue murmured to Katara, "And two Water Tribe in the top 5! This is unprecedented."

"So I've heard," Katara said. In fact, that's all she'd heard- from Aiga, Zhi, the papers, the girls. She'd gone around to ask how she could have possibly made it to number one when it seemed she hadn't done much at all. She asked many girls and got many different answers.

From Aiga: "Before the competition started, a newspaper was released with a little bit of information on each girl- like their age, their tribe, where they live, and such like that."

From Yue: "The public likes the Water Tribe. They don't know much about us."

From Suki: "There's always someone here watching, reporting back. Even if it's in the shadows for extra money. Just because you don't see a 'reporter', doesn't mean that the public doesn't know almost everything about us and what goes on here."

From Toph: "Word got out about your punch-punchy fighting. I like these people. They seem to appreciate a good warrior."

Katara wasn't sure if she believed any of them. But, here she was, number one. And, Nadhari, Mai, and Bhairavi (who didn't even make top 5) were not, which made it all a little better.

"She's probably just bitter she's not number one." Katara waved a hand, referring to the way Nadhari was still arguing with Toph about what constituted 'good tea'.

Yue made a quiet noise of agreement that only Katara and Toph were privy to.

"Ladies!" Iroh was waiting for them, grin as wide as his face, "I'm so pleased you could come today."

"Our schedules aren't so full that we couldn't enjoy tea," Toph said, looking genuinely excited.

"There's always time for tea," Lu Ten came out to welcome them as well, "as my father says."

Inside of the tea room, there was a traditional tea setup: a low table with seven large pillows arranged around it as seating.

"Can I take off my shoes?" Toph took no time asking. Katara thought it was a bold move. She wasn't sure if she'd ask the Royal Family if she could undress.

"That's unsanitary," Mai said in a low disapproving tone. Instead, Iroh looked bemused.

"Whatever for?"

"Well, I'm blind," Toph made an exaggerated motion, "And it's sort of how I see, you see?" Now she had the attention of the group. She took off one slipper, slammed her foot onto the ground and wiggled her toes on the carpet. She then proceeded to describe in perfect detail where everyone was in the room, including furniture.

"By all means! What an amazing trait. You must be quite self-sufficient."

"Yeah," Toph stuffed her slippers into her dress, "It's the least I could do. Otherwise, I'm not sure how I'd survive...people always trying to help me." She winced.

Iroh and Lu Ten each took an end of the table, likely to talk to the most girls, and Katara sat on the left side, next to Toph. Lu Ten was to her right. Yue was on Toph's other side, next to Iroh. Nadhari and Mai sat on the opposite side. Katara couldn't imagine having to sit next to either of them.

As the tea was passed around in a couple of different pots and servants came with little finger-food treats, Lu Ten grinned broadly. His uncle's face was just as jubilant. It was hard to imagine that this side of the family was related to people like Azula or Ozai at all, and even Zuko at times. Katara rarely saw him smile aside from when he was with her or other girls.

"I just love having you all in the palace. It makes the halls so much livelier," Lu Ten commented.

"But don't you get dignitaries and visitors often?" Yue's forehead crinkled. Katara sipped her Silver Needle tea, looking up with interest. Yue was correct; Katara often saw a parade of finely robed people traipsing through the palace. Sometimes at her meal with the family, someone would join, and it wasn't often the same person more than once. There seemed to be a never-ending stream of visitors. It wasn't like the South Pole, where there were hardly any visits. Once, the North used to come down every couple of months, but that had stopped years ago.

"I suppose," Lu Ten tilted his head, "But those people are gone so quickly. It's different, with this, I'm gaining a family member. It feels so much fuller."

Katara hadn't considered what this competition was to the others other than Zuko's wife. Lu Ten would have another cousin, Azula a sister, Iroh another niece. Azula didn't seem all too excited with this, but Iroh and his son certainly did. Katara hadn't seen a 'family' much in her time here, but she felt it already with these two. Once, she'd mourned the poor soul that would end up tied to these relatives, but with someone like Iroh or Lu Ten on your side, it had to be manageable? And something told her that these two would back the winning girl, for Zuko.

"Wouldn't you have gone through The Prince's Choice?" Nadhari asked, "Since you were to…" At Mai's hard glare, her question teetered off. Lu Ten seemed hardly offended.

"I just found a great many reasons avoid it," he laughed, "Zuko wants to be here, which I'm not surprised about, considering." Katara had a feeling he was talking about Ozai. Yue looked confused, but Lu Ten moved on, "But I made myself very unavailable. I took trips to the colonies at any chance, spending elongated months settling the Fire Nation in and keeping the peace. Azulon could just never quite pin me down long enough for it."

"Do you not believe in its system?" Toph crossed her arms, scrutinizing him.

"Spirits, no!" Lu Ten widened his eyes. "I heard about my father going through it and he found true love, may my mother rest in peace," he said, and Katara saw Iroh bow his head for a momentary reflection, "But, I just don't think I'd have the same results," he added, his smile wry.

"What's that-,"

"So, both your father and uncle went through it. Is that common?" Katara spoke over Yue's question. While she probably meant well, innocently, Katara was sure Lu Ten didn't want to talk about that, not now. Not with Nadhari watching him like a hawk, for whatever reason. It was a cunning look she held, not an attracted one.

"Well," It was Iroh who answered, "Ozai and I were born years apart. He was a child when I went through mine. But he seemed so excited about it, even at 20, and Azulon couldn't see a reason not to allow it. I must say, Ursa is a wonderful sister-in-law so I cannot complain about it," Iroh gave a soft smile. Katara wondered what Ozai was like when he was 20. Was it age that soured him? The power he gained?

She suddenly had a million questions about Ozai's Choice, answers she would never get from Zuko. Was he young and maybe a little ambitious when he met Ursa, and she once saw something in him, but he's been hardened? Or, was he always like this and somehow Ursa got caught up in it. She couldn't decide which was worse: to have once been good or never at all. Ursa had to have picked him for a reason, didn't she? Or was this more of an arranged agreement?

"But do you think he just went through it so he could claim the throne?" Katara said out loud and was instantly mortified. She said it quietly, but unluckily all heads turned to her. Iroh just looked thoughtful.

"That was always a possibility, in the back of my mind. One must be married or engaged to become Fire Lord, to ensure the next generation. I had hoped that wasn't his intention..." Iroh stirred his tea. "What has happened has happened," he said after a long moment.

"Will Azula go through a Princess' Choice?" Nadhari asked. Katara swallowed hard, recalling the fight in the dining room.

"It is most likely. It's now a thing for all children to go through it, reasons covert or no," Iroh seemed very aware of Azula's not so subtle wishes, "But, soon Zuko will be the Fire Lord and that will be up to him. I imagine so, she is a princess and she can't just marry anyone, at least, not without the support of the people."

"This competition humanizes you to our nation," Lu Ten added, "Which is why we wanted to meet with the five of you. It means a great deal to be the top five. It's usually very telling. Rest assured, the order matters little at this point - it's as fluid as the sea - but the five usually stay the five."

Yue and Nadhari both blushed, before Nadhari turned to Katara in a sort of 'I'm coming for you' way. Toph grinned. Mai even looked a little pleased. Katara smiled too, for appearances. But, in reality, she was grateful to be here, in this tea room. As Sokka and her father had both pointed out, being the number one choice wasn't a bad thing, but rather, a blessing.

"Do you all have your own picks for who you think will win? Or who you like?" Toph asked, nudging Iroh. Katara stiffened, and everyone else held a breath seeing that Toph had touched him so casually. Iroh just laughed, as though delighted by her persona.

"Oh, of course, we do! You'll never get us to tell, however." There was a light glimmering in his eye, "We want this to turn out well just as much as anyone."

Toph tilted her head. Katara knew she could tell if someone was lying. She wondered if she could get feelings too, such as who Iroh or his son were rooting for.

After this, the conversation lapsed into little groups. Iroh made a point to ask Mai how her family was and this seemed to engage her for a while. She seemed a little more animated whilst talking to Iroh, that is to say, a step above a solid corpse, and it softened Katara toward her. She could just be shy, Katara figured.

Katara talked with Yue, while Nadhari badgered Lu Ten about this and that. Lu Ten took it in stride, but then again, he had a lot of practice with annoyingly pressing people, living in a castle, as the nephew of the Fire Lord.

Soon, Nadhari realized he wasn't stupid, but merely being purposely obtuse and her attention flittered over to Iroh.

"I lied." Lu Ten's very soft voice made Katara jump a little. He had scooted closer to her side than Nadhari's, and Katara shifted in turn to hear him.

She asked about what.

"The top five being so fluid. The four bottom is, but number one," he waved a finger, "She usually remains there."

"Thank you," Katara wasn't sure what else to say or why he was telling her.

"Most girls would be dying over this." Little got past Lu Ten, Katara realized. He was quiet, watchful, and pensive. He was neither of his two cousins - neither Zuko, who was quick to anger, nor Azula who was sly and calculating. She had a feeling Lu Ten was like Iroh.

"I recognize this honor, I do," Katara said, "But...I dunno." She shrugged, unable to come up with an answer.

"I prefer this," Lu Ten said, "I've had my fill of squealing girls, even just since this has begun. I've always found it distasteful. I think to be like you, however, is to recognize that my cousin is a person...sometimes a flawed person, but someone with feelings. He is imperfect."

Katara laughed a bit, "You sound like family," She teased.

"Don't get me wrong. I love Zuko. I hold no ill will toward him and I will always feel terrible about his scar." Lu Ten looked very upset. "Never mind. Anyway, I think you've likely experienced one of his famous fights. I think most girls would be horrified to hear that tone, to see him angry," he explained.

"Yeah, there's been one or two," Katara winced slightly.

"However, I imagine you're the type to give it right back to him," Lu Ten continued. Katara felt her face redden. It wasn't lady-like to be a spitfire, Zhi had said. But, Lu Ten just looked contented at her lack of answer, "He needs that. He needs someone to tell him when he's fucked up, when he's being unreasonable."

"Ah, well, we might be perfectly matched then," Katara said, who knew she wouldn't hesitate to yell right back.

"I think you'd be good for him," Lu Ten decided. Katara felt a whole slew of emotions, mostly guilt. Here was his cousin, so looking forward to what Katara deduced he thought was a done competition, and she was going to leave them. She was using him for food. It was so much easier when the Fire Nation were faceless monsters.

She had a feeling Lu Ten recognized her silence as something more, but he did not push. Even if he had wanted to, Toph yelled a question to him across the table, and his attention was diverted.

The tea session went on for about an hour more. Near the end, Lu Ten stood up, thanked them for their time and excused himself to go to a meeting. Iroh did the same, and the girls lined up to leave.

Halfway back, Katara groaned. Yue turned.

"I forgot I bought a shawl today," Katara grumbled. It was cloudy out. "Should I just wait for someone to bring it back to me?" she asked.

"We can pick it up," one of the guards offered, "Let's go." Katara nodded, and the pair returned back to the tea room. When she arrived, she was quite surprised to see Iroh methodically cleaning the table. She'd gotten so used to having maids or servants clear and serve that seeing the older man picking up tea cups and plates made her pause in the doorway.

"Ah, Princess Katara," Iroh saw her out of the corner of his eye, "Missing this?" He held up her shawl.

She nodded once, coming to pick it up. She bit her lip, tying it around her waist. "Would you like some help?" she asked, unable to just walk away. Iroh blinked, then smiled.

"That would be lovely."

Katara was sure others would have stayed had they known, like Yue, but all the same, Iroh seemed pleased with her offer. Katara helped him gather the plates and the teapots. In a little room to the side, Iroh began scrubbing the plates off before heating them to dry the water from them.

"It gives me a chance to think, clearing plates," Iroh said at Katara's surprised expression, "The servants can't control me. They stopped years ago."

It reminded Katara of her relationship with Aiga. So, Katara came over, using her bending to more effectively scrub off the remaining crumbs and sauce before handing it to Iroh.

"It is a treat to see you water bend," He said, watching her.

"I'm doing dishes," Katara shrugged, "Hardly special."

"Oh, but it is. So many people assume bending is for fighting. Its applications are wide-spread, however," he said, which Katara wholehearted agreed with, "I, for one, like to get my tea to just the right temperature."

"At home, it's easy for me to help build structures of snow because I can pack it in just right," Katara said out loud.

"I also hear you are a fighter, though," Iroh said, "And I've seen it."

"I like to be prepared," Katara said, but did not specify. She was talking about being able to fight off a grizzly-moose just as much as preparing for the Fire Nation attack.

"Once, a long time ago, when Zuko was young, a fortune teller came and read his palms. She later told the adults he was destined to marry a powerful fighter."

Katara scoffed. She might believe in spirits and pray to the moon, but 'fortune telling' just felt silly to her. "You believe it?"

"There a great many things I am unsure of. This is one. I am open to it being correct. Until now, I hadn't much thought about it. But, seeing you, I am more inclined to believe."

Katara bit her nails, thinking.

"Have you ever told Zuko?" she asked.

"It was not something he'd be interested in at the age. And, now, I figure that if it's meant to be, it will happen," Iroh shrugged.

"He really looks up to you," Katara said, leaning against the sink as Iroh dried the last dishes, "You should hear him talk. He trusts you, more than he trusts...anyone else." She was about to say Ozai, but then changed her mind. Iroh nodded grimly.

"Ozai has always been tough on him. Azula inherited many things from Ozai, including his views on ruling and his ability. Things have often always come easily to Azula, like fire bending. That was not so for Zuko, so Ozai was hard on him," Iroh said, "But I do know my brother loves him."

"But...Zuko's a great bender. He won the throne." She argued.

Iroh shrugged. "He's been a hard worker, something he got from his mother. He's never given up. Ozai puts him down, he crawls back up. I think that these hardships have made him the true Fire Lord, or they will. It is this determination that I see that makes me know he will be a good ruler." Iroh said, "Azula has never understood what it means to want something and to have needed to work toward it. There are problems the Fire Lord will face that cannot be done in a day. Zuko will be wiser." Katara smiled on behalf of Iroh's warm comments. "Zuko is a good person."

"I know that," Katara assured, smiling softly.

"I know you do too," Iroh agreed, "Just as he talks to you about me, as you say, he talks to me about you."

Katara spun. "Huh? Like what?"

"He regards your opinion highly. His bond with you is already quite something. And, even if things do not work out, I hope you'll remain his friend. He needs friends. He has a great many admirers and workers, but few friends."

"Of course," This was something Katara had considered. She hoped they still wrote when she left for home. As much as Zuko had made her his friend, she felt like he was hers too.

The tea night gave her much to think about, many things to mull over in her head - Azula and her own Choice, Ozai when he was young, Iroh and Lu Ten's affinity for her.

Zuko continued his slew of dates but was gone for three days, off at the end of Fire Kingdom. To cheer the girls up, Zhi set up a full feast in the garden. Shi also appeared the day after her tea-talk, which had to mean something big.

"If I were making a theoretical dress, which color would you want it?" she'd asked Katara.

"Like...a fancy dress or a casual dress?" Katara tried to suss out the meaning of her visit.

"Eh, fancy?" Shi made a small noise in the back of her throat. "But you won't hear about what!" she added.

"Blue, blue of course," Katara said, "My tribe's color."

Katara also began watching the girls clinically, taking notes that might not be of importance, but she charted them anyway. She found she was leaving little slips of paper in the knot in the tree nearly every day or so. Nothing was juicy, and maybe Zuko already knew some of it, but she it kept her occupied and sharpened her skills of observation.

It was things such as Saya never learned how to swim, but she can ride wild Dragonmooses, or Kilee won a food eating contest she wasn't supposed to enter when she was eight. It also made Katara be social with the girls.

Zuko replied, in one of his notes, that he felt like he was learning so much about all these girls but hardly knew little facts about Katara. Katara, rolling her eyes, started putting half-sarcastic comments about her own life, with just enough bite for him to understand it.

And somewhere in there, their conversations began to divert from the girls entirely. They were passing messages about once a day, so as they wrote, it was like they were talking...almost. A very fast falcon took two days to get to the Southern Pole, so Katara couldn't ask specific questions about things that had happened because Sokka just wouldn't remember. But with Zuko? This was different. The conversation went like this:

Katara: Why don't you go out as the Blue Spirit anymore?

Zuko: What makes you say I don't?

Katara: Well, I haven't seen you on the roofs here.

Zuko: There are other ways out. I learned that going that way gets me frozen to trees. In all seriousness, I shouldn't have been going there that day. I'd been using it because I knew the wing was empty. Forgot it was full.

Katara: What's the city like?

Zuko: Haven't the girls I've taken talked about it?

Katara: They're preoccupied with what they did. Plus, they all grew up in cities, even Kilee. Mine is a tribe, and literally, it's small. Two hundred people, I can name each one and recite their family tree. We have one 'road' and the only time it's busy is when school is let out, but even then it's nothing special.

Zuko: Well, next time, I'll take you outside of the walls. I'll show you the city I like, not the one I've been taking the girls to. They expect the upper circles, but there's something about the middle and low-class circles…

Katara: I'd like that.

At this point, she nearly put a smile face after, but then realized that her chest was beating fast and thought against it. She made a point in the next couple missiles to be strictly on task. If Zuko noticed, he didn't bring it up in their correspondence.

It was five days from when Shi made an appearance in everyone's room that the event was finally announced. Zuko came back from his travels and came into the ladies' room. He looked tired, Katara noticed, as he must have just returned. His hair was all mussed and it looked good that way.

"Ladies, I've heard you're all wondering why Shi was called in to design fancy dress some of your handmaids will be sewing," He paused, as though every girl wasn't already enraptured, "We will be having a small event to acclimate you ladies to the lifestyle of balls and soirees."

All he needed to say was 'ball' and the girls began whispering furiously amongst themselves. He only had to raise a hand to stop them, and he gave a tiny smirk. Yes, Katara thought, to have this much power much be a little exhilarating.

"It's not big like we might do for other events, by any means. However, it is nothing to ignore. There will be dance lessons and speaking tips because there will be some chosen dignitaries there that I'm sure will want to interact with you. There will also be a journalist there who will likely ask you some questions. It's in three nights. I hope you're all excited," he said.

Most were, and those who weren't were bemoaning the fact they only had three days to plan the perfect hair and makeup. The understanding that this would be a significant step in their process was universally understood.

Katara, however, cared very little. She cared in the sense that she wasn't going to not go or be rude, but she fully intended to wear her hair as she always did. And, as for makeup, Aiga would know what to do. Girls also moaned about their dresses, and how they didn't know what they were getting, but Shi had yet to make an ugly dress and Katara wondered why one would worry about something out of their hands?

"Ugh, balls," Toph groaned, laying on the floor and covering her face, "The bane of my existence."

"I take it you've gone through a few?" Now that Zuko and Iroh and Lu Ten had seen Toph's true side, she'd been hanging around the people she wanted to hang out with - Suki, Smellerbee, and Katara, mainly.

"Too many," She replied through a muffled hand, "It's all so pretentious. You gotta answer stupid things with stupid people. And do stupid dances."

"They expect a blind girl to dance?" Katara asked, putting down her book.

"Well, not me," Toph blinked, "But you're in for a fun time, Sugar Queen." She smirked. Katara bit the inside of her cheek. The only dance she knew was a very ritualistic one, one that she was sure would be called 'savage' if anyone saw it. It was more of a 'feel the rhythm' type of dance anyway, and Katara dreaded having to learn perfectly timed steps and spins and twirls.

"And the dresses-oh, ho!" Toph continued her lament, "Don't even get me started…" Katara smiled to herself as she listened to Toph's tirade against balls. At least she knew what to expect, sorta?

Zhi recognized that many girls knew little about dancing and only made them learn three 'easy' dances. It wasn't easy to Katara, who felt like the least graceful one there. Toph sat on the sidelines, required to be there but not to participate, occasionally throwing out a half-hearted encouragement. "That was almost the right one, Katara!" or 'This ain't a fight, Suki, don't kill your partner with that grip.' She was very quickly ejected once these began, which Katara knew was all her plan.

The 'taking with important people' class, however, Katara did with ease. It was no different than talking with semi-important people, which they'd had a lesson on, and it was things Katara had learned under her father...basically, how to not pick fights with people when discussing things, how to keep a conversation light and funny and cute. No one at this ball was looking for disparate opinions.

Aiga was up in Katara's room, hemming part of the dress when she returned. The ball was the next night.

"I was meant to be done by now," Aiga admitted, "But I'm not the best sewer."

"Well, I've done some in my time, give it here," Katara offered. Aiga shook her head, eyes wide.

"That would be completely inappropriate," She squeaked out. Katara sighed.

"When have I ever followed the rules?" She asked, shutting the door, "Just stay here so it seems like you're doing it." She said. On her way back, she plucked the dress from Aiga's hands and continued the hemline that Aiga had been fumbling through.

"You're so not like the others," Aiga said for the umpteenth time.

"Yeah, so I've heard," Katara said. "Sewing always has calmed me. It's so monotonous, just the same, like a wave. It reminds me of water bending," she admitted.

"Really?"

Katara thought about Iroh's comment, how most thought bending was just about fighting.

"Uh-huh. Water bending is a culture, a dance. It's very soothing in the sense that all the moves just flow together, like water. I've seen fire bending, it's all short and fast. That's not what we're about at all. It's good for meditation because you can get your hand doing one thing and your mind another." She taught Aiga, like her mother had told her. Even if there were few water benders left, the elders and adults had known water bending and even managed to find a couple scrolls for Katara to self-teach.

"Wow," Aiga sat on a stool, palms on her cheeks, "I wish I could bend." She gave a longing sigh.

Katara gave a quirk of a smile. "It's pretty great," she agreed, "But that doesn't mean you can't be strong in other ways. Suki's not a bender and I wouldn't want to meet her in a dark alleyway."

"It just seems like a lot of work." Aiga leaned back.

"Well, of course, it is. Even if you have a bending skill, you got to practice it. It doesn't just happen overnight." Katara tilted her head. "Suki would be happy to teach you some steps, you know. She's always saying any girl can be a Kyoshi warrior."

Aiga looked deeply pensive. "Perhaps."

Katara stayed up late mending the dress. It had a lot of layers, but it was simply gorgeous. It was the color of the clothes she'd come in on her first day.

The next morning, she slept through breakfast. Aiga didn't even try to wake her and to be honest, Katara would have shooed her away. In fact, Katara slept in longer than she could say she had before. When Aiga finally shook her awake, it was hours past sun-high.

"Well, the only thing you have tonight is the ball," Aiga said in her defense, "Plus, you spent the whole night with that…" Their gazes both slid over to the dress hanging on her dresser, the door ajar so that Katara could see it.

"Wow." In the sunlight, it was just as gorgeous, if not more.

"You have four hours or so," Aiga peered out at the sky, "And we're going to need all of them."

Katara only briefly saw her friends bustling around as Aiga instructed her to the bathrooms. Suki gave her a nervous half-wave as her own handmaid dragged her to do her hair and she saw Yue and some of the other Water Tribe girls in Yue's room. Everyone was so preoccupied that no one asked where Katara had been all day. The nervousness was palpable, as though someone could walk through it. Katara wasn't nervous as much as she was tired. She honestly thought a night of dancing sounded plain awful.

Katara didn't think it could possibly take a full four hours for everything to be done, but there was still beading and lacing that needed to be done on the dress, her hair needed to be dried completely, and Aiga had more makeup in front of her than Katara had ever put on her face. Then, Aiga made Katara practice some of the dance steps that Zhi had attempted to teach them in her spare time.

"It says a great deal to be able to dance well." Aiga told Katara. "You're…"

"Awful," Katara muttered, "Yes, I know."

"I was going to say in the middle," Aiga wavered her hand, "There are worse girls."

"Like Toph? She's blind," Katara pointed out.

"Well, I'm sure there are others. Maybe they'll like that you can't dance. It's unbecoming to be good at everything."

Katara side-glanced Aiga, "Thanks for trying to make me feel better." She sighed.

All too soon she could hear Zhi ringing a bell down the halls, a signal for the girls to gather in a line.

"I hope you're feeling ok," Yue murmured as they go into line.

"Huh?" Katara asked, momentarily stunned by the sheer beauty of Yue's lavender colored dress. It looked regal, while Katara felt a little like a bride in hers.

"This morning. I didn't see you and Aiga said you were sleeping." Yue patted Katara's shoulder. "It's okay to be nervous. Lots of girls missed the meal this morning," she consoled.

"Oh, I was just tired." Katara yawned just thinking about it. "I was up late, er, writing my family," she shrugged. She didn't want to get Aiga in trouble. "I don't understand why these girls are so nervous," she admitted.

"Well, it's a lot of pressure," Saya - standing in front of Katara - pointed out, "With the prince, we can sort of be ourselves most of the time. And when we're at dinner with the Royal Family, there's enough so that we're not being watched the whole time. But here, we'll have to be talking to different people that are all probably just waiting to report back to the Prince about any misstep!"

Katara frowned; she hadn't considered it. Zhi had practically drilled and painted on their foreheads how important the people would be here.

"And we have an interview," Kilee piped up, "I mean, they're going to be writing exactly what we say! Totally nerve-wracking."

"On top of that," Saoirse added, "We have to dance with people. The same people that will be interrogating us with wicked tongues and sly questions." She bit her nails. "It's a lot of focus on all at once."

"Anyone's who's going to be the Fire Lady has to be able to do this, though." Nadhari waltzed in front of them to stand by Mai, who looked displeased she had placed herself so close, "So, if you can't handle it…"

"I heard you this morning." Alcina narrowed her eyes. "You're not as confident as you make yourself out to be," she hissed.

"I don't know what you think you heard," Nadhari's round eyes blinked at her.

"Ladies," Yue's calming voice floated through, "We're all a little high-strung, I know. But let's not do this."

"Oh, shut it," Nadhari rolled her eyes.

Katara sighed, sending Yue an 'at least you tried' sort of look. Katara hadn't been nervous before, but now after hearing all these reasons, she had to admit she was...a little. Only because she wanted her spot here to be totally secure. She shouldn't have been so quick to assume herself totally safe. If she made a complete fool of herself she was sure she'd be sent home.

Zhi lead them to a place in the palace it seemed no one had been: the grand ballroom. Outside the doors, she halted the group.

"Let me go in and announce your entrance. It won't be long now, girls," she said, sliding through the doors. Katara could hear the music that the orchestra was playing, she could smell the catering, and she could feel the anticipation of both parties.

"Shit, shit!" Andica suddenly slapped a hand over her mouth before breaking away from the group and vomiting in a plant near the doors. Nadhari gave a bark of laughter, and Mai looked disgusted, but most of the girls looked concerned or sympathetic. Katara was surprised when Ty Lee bounced over, patting her back and asking a guard to get a napkin.

"Poor thing," Yue sighed, "That's why many girls didn't eat this morning." Katara nodded in agreement. Andica was a blubbering mess, crying that she'd ruined everything already and that her makeup would be wrecked. Suki broke away from the group to gently console her.

"Oh, spirits," Jin whined a low sound, "Katara, does my hair look okay?" She turned her back to show her neat plaits with little flowers. Katara blinked in surprise; she'd hardly talked with the soft-spoken Earth Kingdom girl.

"Uh, great," she said honestly, "Here." She tugged here and there, straightening out the braid and making it look effortless. Jin turned around, sighing in relief.

"You have some makeup," Jin rubbed her tooth, "right there."

Katara rubbed away some orange-red lipstick Aiga had procured for her, nodding in thanks. It would have been embarrassing to walk around like that.

Around her, other girls were asking each other to touch up their makeup or check their dresses. There was a sort of nervous comradery that was washing over everyone, even Katara. It was a small gesture, Jin turning to Katara, but she was overwhelmed at the motion. It meant she wasn't hated...she had friends, or she was accepted into the group. It warmed her to be wanted, or to be liked.

The doors creaked and all the girls stopped their whispers, getting into line. Surprisingly, even Andica was able to straighten her back and dab away at her eyes enough to look semi-presentable. Suki had put herself right behind her, patting her shoulder.

"And now, the ladies of The Prince's Choice."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of you picked up on the bloodbending! If you look back to chapter one, you'll see only one other SWT girl has ever competed...truth be told, RIGHT NOW, its not important, but that will be picked up later. So, remember this. I just didn't want lots of you to be like 'what? Where tf did this come from?'
> 
> If you're curious, the dress Katara is wearing is the one on the cover! Or, that's what I imagine it to be. I know it's not traditional Avatar-wear, but...
> 
> And Iroh! Lu Ten! I love writing them. Hope you guys liked seeing that scene. Next chapter will be the ball, very exciting :)
> 
> Remember to drop a review if you're enjoying this


	10. Chapter 10

That was their cue. They all came into a wave of thunderous clapping. They smiled at the guests - thirty to fifty if Katara were to guess, and the girls waved demurely at them. They were introduced, one by one, and they all stepped forward to bow as their names were called. Katara was very aware of Zuko's gaze as she stepped onto the ballroom floor, as she bent down and tried not to hurl. The sensation had hit her quite unexpectedly, though she wasn't sure why. As soon as she got back in line, the feeling subsided but didn't leave.

She noticed, standing back up, that a few people had given her a strange look. It was only when she watched the next girl in line curtsy like a lady, Katara realized she'd bowed low like a man. She'd been so preoccupied with being a wary participant, watching everyone and taking everything in, she'd accidentally done the more 'male' equivalent, which she was more used to doing. It apparently wasn't too big of a blunder, since Zhi hadn't come out squawking at her and most people's interest continued down the line of girls, but she still felt red...and she was beginning to feel ill again, though she attributed it to her slight mortification.

"Girls, now, enjoy yourselves! Chat with the people present, dance! Eat this food, it's all Fire Nation specialties. A reporter may come by to ask you a couple questions, just be yourself," Zhi said after it was all done. "Now, off you go!" she said, shooing them away.

Katara found herself quite the requested dancer. Being the top choice and all, she was hardly surprised. For the first couple hours, she was completely busy with men (and a woman or two) asking for her hand and trying to squeeze secrets from her on the dance floor. She thought back to the girls - juggling all the things she knew she had to remember was really hard. Luckily, she was not so easily fooled and dancing the moves right was enough of a distraction so that no one got anything out of her. None seemed too disappointed though, and most gave some passing comment of 'I'd like to see you win' or 'The Prince is an idiot if he doesn't pick you' as they left. In all, it made Katara feel really strange.

She finally got a break to go and find some food. She took a plate and leaned against a column, looking at the party. Most of the girls seemed to be having a good time, from the outside. Maybe they were just really good actors.

But, Katara had to admit, there was something care-free and fun about tonight. Ty Lee had even goaded Azula to dance, and Katara could have sworn she saw the princess smile. Azula didn't stick around long, which was probably a good thing, and seemed like she'd just come by to make fun of Zuko before being swept away by Ty Lee.

The guest list was mostly couples around the age of the current Fire Lord and Lady, with the exception of one. She'd seen him when she first stepped out to bow, and his age had caught her eye. If she had to guess, perhaps her age, but maybe even younger. Plus, he was dressed so...strangely.

The night was hot and most people were wearing short sleeves or lightweight material, but this boy was decked out from head to toe in thick fabric. The collar went all the way up to his neck. On his fingers, he wore what almost looked like black gloves, but the fingers were cut off. His hair was black and shaggy, like Sokka's when he didn't cut it in weeks, and he had a headband tied right close, almost obscuring his eyes. Katara couldn't imagine this was acceptable, but no one seemed to comment at all. And his eyes...they were a pale color, the palest blue that Katara had ever seen, almost gray.

There was something about him that sent off alarms, but not bad ones. She didn't know what it was, but nevertheless, she was going to watch him.

Currently, he was speaking with a gentleman who had arrived late. He was using big hand motions, but they were talking in whispers. Katara wished she had situated herself closer so she could listen, but alas, she was simply too far away. They'd also situated themselves off from the party, almost hidden by the wall. Unless someone was looking over there, like Katara, one may pass by this conversation completely.

Katara knew when something was being hidden.

The boy looked like he was going to sneeze. The man reached out, but the boy shooed him away, the urge leaving. Then, he did sneeze and the man reached out to grasp his jacket, but Katara was sure...completely sure...the boy's feet had left the ground, by a good couple inches. However, he was back down immediately and Katara blinked. Maybe she'd been imaging it?

Yet, she hadn't had that much to drink.

Katara trusted her own eyes.

A high-pitched squeal interrupted the conversation. Katara turned to see Alcina and Dhakiya rushing toward the man. He met them halfway, enveloping both in a huge hug.

"Daddy!" Dhakiya squeezed tightly, "Why didn't you tell us you were coming?"

Now that Katara looked hard, he did see a striking resemblance between the three.

"Where's Mum?" Alicna asked, "Is she okay? She never misses a party!"

"Your mother is fine," The man let the girls go. Most of the rest of the party had returned to their dancing and eating, seeing that no one was hurt. "It was a spur of the moment thing, girls, but I'm glad I'm here."

"What are you doing?"

Katara jumped, squeaking, "Toph! Agh, you need a bell."

"Why so interested in the twinsies' pop?" Toph asked, tilting her head.

"It's not him. It was him." Katara realized belatedly that Toph would have no idea who she was subtly pointing to. "The kid in the corner."

"Twinkle-toes," Toph supplied.

"Do you know him? And what do you mean by that?" Maybe Toph had felt him leave the ground too.

"Naw, but I've felt him around the party. He's a dancer, that one. Almost girly," she sniggered, "Princy has had years of dancing lessons, but he's still heavy. That kid? Like air."

"There's just something...off," Katara crossed her arms, "Can't place it, though. He was having a very quiet, very intense conversation with the girls' father."

"Should have asked me," Toph said, "I hear all the juicy shit, trust me. It's like, people forget that I'm just blind, not deaf as well." She rubbed her hands, "You won't believe the dirt I've gotten just tonight. Like, did you know that apparently, Lu Ten is-"

"I look forward to hearing it," Katara interrupted, "But maybe you could...tail him? See what's up?"

"Stalk a dude at a nice ball?" Toph said, and there was a pause where Katara considered how crazy that sounded, "Yeah, sounds fun. I'll report back." Toph gave a salute before slipping back into the crowd.

For the next couple hours, Katara's head was on a permanent swivel to wherever Toph was. At first, she wondered if Toph was getting anything at all, but then she'd tilt her head and a little smirk would appear. It didn't stop Katara from feeling anxious, though, for whatever reason. She didn't know why this boy was affecting her so much, but it was more perhaps that Katara knew something off when she saw it.

"Woah, aren't you having fun?" Eva asked, coming to sit with Katara at one of the tables, holding a little goblet of wine.

"Huh? Oh," Katara looked down at her shaking legs, "Just, it's overwhelming." She gave a small smile.

"Yeah. Guess parties aren't big in the South. Not huge in the North either." Eva held out the wine to Katara. "It helps," she pressed. Katara didn't drink many 'adult beverages' at home, but she'd tasted it before. This wine was nothing like that, and Katara had to stop herself from downing it all.

"No, parties aren't big," Katara agreed faintly, "We have festivals or ceremonies, but this?"

Eva gave a nod, "I know."

"Where'd you get that?" Katara asked, pointing to the goblet.

"I'll get you one. You take this. You really look pale, you know," Eva said, her eyes widening with worry. Katara opened her mouth to argue, but Eva had already left. She wasn't gone long, but she came back with food too.

"Eat," Eva instructed. Katara's stomach growled.

"I didn't realize you were so mothering," Katara mumbled through a full mouth. Usually, that role was reserved for her.

"Well, would a mother would encourage you to chug this?" Eva pushed Katara's goblet toward her. "More like the 'problem aunt'," she chuckled to herself, "And really, only to friends." Katara gave a hum of an agreement, hardly getting caught up on the fact Eva cared so much about her.

"Have you dance with the Prince?" Eva asked. Katara shook her head through a full mouth, "Oh, well, he has a lot of girls to get through. I wouldn't worry."

"I'm not." Katara tried to argue, but Eva's look was one of disbelief. She hadn't even thought about dancing with the Prince.

"Princess Katara!" An overly excited tone startled her. She turned to see the journalist, grinning, "You've been popular, hard to pin down. Do you mind?"

Eva tilted her head, frowning. Katara made a motion to wave her away, she could handle a news reporter.

"As long as I can keep eating," Katara said. The journalist laughed and scribbled something down.

"So, Princess Katara, what's it like, coming from the South Pole? Any big differences?"

Katara swallowed, raising an eyebrow. "Everything? I mean, take any aspect of here, flip it around, and you'd have the South Pole," she said.

"Doesn't this concern you? That you'd have nothing in common with the Prince, then?"

Katara's eyes narrowed. "Well, since you keep calling me Princess, wouldn't you say that's a pretty big one? I might not rule an entire nation, but we too have our own problems and groups. I'm getting really tired of people assuming we just sit on the ice all day."

"I apologize," The reporter had the decency to look red in the face, "It's just, no one knows much about your culture."

"Well, I'd gladly educate you." So she did. She described a normal day for herself, she described a celebration they had that was the closest example to a large event, she talked about the importance of family. It was easy to answer these sorts of questions, especially when the reporter did look interested. It was a long while before one of his scrolls were full and he laughed to himself.

"I've hardly asked you anything about the Prince," he said more as an afterthought.

Katara shrugged, trying not to seem too relieved.

"I've taken up a lot of your time, so I'll just ask one more - do you see yourself making it to the end?"

Katara considered how much food and other help her tribe would receive, plus how much she could learn while here. Her answer was one she didn't need time to think about.

"Of course I do. I see myself staying until the last one," she said confidently. The journalist looked pleased, and let her be.

A short time after he left, Katara realized she urgently needed to use the ladies' room. The wine - two whole glasses - had gone right through her. She elbowed through the crowd, smiling and excusing herself until she burst into the hallway that would lead to the ladies' washrooms. The air was so much cooler in here, without all the swarming bodies heating the place up. Katara basked in the comfort of it for a second before stumbling to find the correct door.

The good thing about wine: Katara felt much less anxious now.

The bad thing about wine: Katara had no idea what her limits were, but she knew that her logic and sense of reasoning were compromised. Her fingers tingled a little, like when she was outside without gloves for too long. When she touched the pads of her fingers together, she knew she was supposed to be feeling something, but it was like it was someone else's hand.

She giggled.

Once she was done, she splashed some water on her face. She used her hands to cup and drink some water from the faucet, rubbing her forehead. No more wine, because this was bad enough as it was. She was...oh, what would Sokka call it? Buzzed? Tipsy? She would have to ask him to draw up a chart, not that the exact definition truly mattered. It felt good in the way that Katara knew it was bad.

She left the ladies' room to wander back to the doors that would lead to the party...and walked right past it. Her sense of hearing was completely off, she realized, and she hadn't gotten a good look at the door in her haste to leave the crowd. The next door was plain looking and certainly not the one she was looking for, so she began to turn back.

That is, until she heard two familiar voices in the alcove just ahead of her.

"Much better, that party is sure loud," the journalist said.

"Yes, we shouldn't be bothered here." Katara's eyebrows furrowed; it was Zuko. Her feet turned, as though to go back, but then she thought of Toph saying about how much 'good dirt' she'd gotten on everyone. And, not that this wouldn't be seen in the papers later, but she was sure a journalist would leave things out.

Katara would have never considered eavesdropping like this when completely sober, and she knew she'd be in a load of trouble if she were caught, but it was just too tempting to listen in. She carefully leaned against the gilded wall, placing her hair behind her ear and steadied her breathing to silence.

The first bit was fairly predictable; the journalist asked Zuko about his thoughts on the competition so far. Zuko was very careful, Katara noted, to say something while saying absolutely nothing at all. She could appreciate his knowledge of this, since it was something she'd watched her father employ many times, usually on her or Sokka when they were poking their noses in too far. To any person who didn't grow up in politics, it sounded good, but in reality, he was just saying things people already knew - he trusted the system, he was having a good time, each girl was unique, and so on.

Then, the journalist got into specifics, asking about certain girls. He asked about twelve - the top 12 - all in jumbled order. Zuko was a little more forthcoming, but still had nothing bad to say. Then again, Katara's dislike for girls like Mai and Nadhari seemed not to bother Zuko.

"Mai's just reserved," he said, "I've known her my whole life." Or, "Nadhari is driven, that's certainly true. She's strong as well, which I'm sure many people would say is a mark of a good Fire Lady."

"I see that General Shen is here, care to comment on that?"

"Well, I see all the girls are homesick, a little. When I got word that Alcina and Dhakiya's father was on a project in the town over, I couldn't help but invite him."

Katara blinked; she hadn't known the surname of the twins. She smiled to herself, crossing her arms. It was sweet what Zuko had done, and seeing their reactions was proof enough. Her heart warmed a little.

She hovered a couple more minutes, but in all found the conversation to be nothing she couldn't guess or ask Zuko herself. She had started peeling herself from the wall when she heard her own name. Like a magnet, she slapped herself back against the wall as quietly as possible.

"Katara, the favorite. You know I'm going to ask," the journalist said, sounding a little coy.

"I know," Zuko almost sounded...tired?

"She said she thinks she's going to win." The silence that followed the journalist's comment was heavy.

"Really?" A tone that Katara couldn't quite place entered Zuko's response. There was surprise, but something more, something a little bit more profound. Katara nearly interrupted right then and there. She hadn't said that; she had meant she'd be the second to last one, and Zuko would let her go right before picking the winner. Then again, she thought back to her response, and she could see how it could be misconstrued. She wasn't as articulate as she usually was, due to the wine.

She pushed her anger down, realizing it was a mistake, or she hoped. She hoped this journalist wasn't twisting her words intentionally.

"So, the final question, who do you want to win?"

Katara paused, biting the inside of her cheek as she waited for the answer. There seemed to be a great hesitation on Zuko's end.

"Ru," Zuko murmured softly, apologetically. Katara took that to be the journalist's name. It sounded right, but admittedly, Katara hadn't been paying attention when he was introduced a couple weeks ago. He didn't seem too much older than Zuko, now that she thought about it. Maybe they were friends, or at least acquaintances?

Katara could hear the scroll being set down. His charcoal stub rolled across the floor and Katara shrunk back.

"I know, Zuko. I guess that's not fair to write. Off the record, though, there's someone, isn't there?"

There was silence, again.

"Of course," Zuko finally answered, "You know I do." There seemed to have been a conversation between the pair Katara hadn't been privy to, and she figured this was it, she'd just never know.

"Well, I suppose it's good she has the public's vote. High up there, no less. And if she did win, it would be quite a difference from the norm-"

That was about all Katara could take. She walked as fast as she could away from the pair back to the party. She had a gut feeling about who they were discussing...her. She didn't want to hear that at all.

Where had their friendship begun to go the other way? When she was squashing down her own butterflies, had he been too? Was he going to try to bother her about this now? Would he even tell her?

Recklessly, she grabbed another goblet from a tray going around, although her stomach felt awful as it was.

She saw the boy sitting by himself, looking a little lonely. With the spur of the moment attitude her parents hated so much, she marched over to him.

"Want to dance?"

The boy looked up, scrutinizing her carefully.

"Shouldn't I be asking you?"

"Well, then ask me," Katara said, crossing her arms. She needed something, anything, to distract her. She was going to overthink things, she could just feel it.

"Uh, wanna dance?" the boy said, a little daunted by her. Katara smiled.

"I'd love to."

The tune playing was a lighthearted one, one without rules to the dance moves involved. Katara saw Zuko come back through the door, and she looked exactly anywhere but where he was.

"I'm Princess Katara," she said, realizing they hadn't even done that. She had been using her 'title' all night, as Zhi told her to do. People seemed delighted to hear her say it.

"Yeah, I know. Everyone knows," the boy replied, "I'm Aang, just Aang."

"Well, 'Just Aang', how are you here?" she asked, "At the party, that is."

"I know the host." He gave a small grin. "The Prince asked me here as his guest, but he's been a little busy all night," Aang shrugged. They did the dance, and Katara argued with herself about whether she was really going to drill this kid. She was, she decided, quite quickly. She was far too curious and far too angry at Zuko.

"How do you know him?"

"Long story," Aang spun her around, "Too long for just a short dance."

"If you don't mind me asking," Katara couldn't help it. Her tongue was no longer connected to her brain, "how old are you?" She knew it was impolite, but Aang just laughed.

"Older than I look." He said with a mirth-filled-smile, one that seemed to hold a larger truth than just what it was. After a pause, he added, "Sixteen."

"Yeah, I would have guessed like 12," Katara teased, unsure why she was so casual with him already. Perhaps it was the way Aang was grinning back at her.

"Hey, when my voice drops, you'll see. Zuko says I'm just a late bloomer. Plus, it's hard to tell under all these clothes."

"You must be burning up." Katara was hot in just her strapless dress.

"Yeah, but I have to keep it on." The song had ended. Katara followed Aang off the dance floor.

"Oh?"

"Uh, it's unseemly," Aang said, but when Katara didn't reply and just stared at him, he continued, "Burned, all over."

"So you're a firebender?" Katara tilted her head, though she'd never heard of a firebender burning themselves.

"Yep, I'm a bender," Aang said, "Clumsy. Real clumsy."

Katara's stomach gurgled. Something about the combination of the salted fish and the wine was melding unfavorably together.

"Oh, spirits," she whispered to herself as she bent over.

"Princess! Are you okay?"

"Call me Katara," She managed to instruct as she placed a finger over her mouth, swallowing back the urge to vomit. Aang looked terrified, fumbling through a couple words and tugging on his headband anxiously.

"Katara, uh, right. I'm going to get Zuko!"

"No, Aang-" She began to protest, but Aang had already slid back into the crowd.

"Katara, you okay?" Toph, who had been hovering, asked.

"Yeah," Katara said weakly, but then felt her stomach lurch, "No."

"Man, crap." Toph grabbed her elbow. "We're going before you cause a scene," she said, directing Katara through the crowd.

"I can't leave!" Katara protested, wondering what Zhi would say about it. That is, until Katara nearly barfed on the ground.

They were nearing the back entrance. Yue hurried over, patting Katara's forehead.

"You're burning up!" she said, "Oh, poor thing."

"I think she's just, you know," Toph made a motion of chugging drinks, winking at Yue.

"Hey!" Katara protested. She hadn't had that much wine. If only she could explain the whole reason - a reason she herself wasn't completely sure on, but now was neither the time nor place.

"No, she looks really pale. Sort of dizzy." Yue argued, "I'm going to find Zhi and explain. She missed breakfasts, so I'm sure Zhi will believe it. I mean, not that you're lying," Yue blinked at her.

You're great, Snowy. I'm taking her back to the dorms." Toph gave her a thumbs up.

"Snowy?" Katara asked, her feet wobbly.

"You didn't think you were the only one who got a nickname?" Toph raised an eyebrow, "Hey, what did you get off that kid?"

"Aang?" Katara had nearly forgotten. "Not a ton."

"He's good." Katara was glad Toph was talking. Toph went on to explain how she thought Katara was just being weird, until she started following him. Then, she realized that the kid had said nothing all night, nothing untrue. It was all very carefully placed, his conversations, so that it was clear he wasn't lying, but he obviously wasn't telling entire truths.

"Only time I heard him slip up is when he told you he was burned all over." Toph finished, "That was a lie."

"So...he's not a firebender?"

"I don't know," Toph gnawed her lip in frustration, "That wasn't a lie, but...well, it wasn't the whole truth either. Too bad I'm not psychic." Toph gave a long sigh.

"Stranger and stranger," Katara said, mostly to herself.

"No kidding! If he thinks I'm gunna let this go, well…" Toph said resolutely, "Aang, that's his name?"

Katara nodded.

"Well, home sweet home." Toph used her foot to open the door. Katara was partly disgusted and party impressed. "Into bed ya go," she said, helping Katara onto the bed.

"Thanks, Toph," Katara said, rolling onto her stomach.

"Don't get all mushy on me. It would have been funny to see you barf in front of all those people, but hey, I'm not the devil or anything," Toph shrugged. "Now you stay and I'm going to go find a bucket for you…" she mumbled half to herself, walking out of the room. Katara used her waterbending to bring a tendril of water from her practice basin to her mouth. Her throat was so dry. The water she was using wasn't the cleanest, but it would do for now.

Toph returned with a bucket.

"Now, if I was Snowy, I'd tuck you in all nice and read you a bed-time story. But I'm not. So, get better, Princess," Toph said, sticking her hands under her armpits, "kay?"

"Yeah," Katara replied sleepily. She did feel really weak. Toph awkwardly patted her arm before leaving. Not soon after, Zhi arrived with Yue.

"Oh, dear," she whispered, seeming genuinely concerned, "Oh, Katara, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Katara rolled over. "Just...thirsty." Yue darted away instantly to find her some water. "I just think the food didn't quite like me tonight," Katara attempted humor.

"Well, some people can't stomach raw fish."

Katara was fairly sure that wasn't it, since she had raw fish often.

Zhi pressed a hand to her forehead, "Dear, you really are burning up. I think you are sick."

"Oh," Katara whispered in a small voice. She rarely got sick. Ugh, this was awful.

"The party's still going to last another five, six hours," Zhi said, tapping her chin. "I'll let the Prince know why you left. He seemed concerned. But, it's best you rest for now," she said, rubbing Katara's hair. For as stiff as she seemed at times, the motion was downright motherly, and Katara thought of her own mother.

"Thanks," Katara said. Yue re-appeared with a large tin of water, and Katara guzzled it.

"I'll have the chefs bring up some soup for you, something warm that will help you," Zhi said, "Do you want me to send Aiga up to help you?"

"No," Katara shook her head. She knew Aiga had tonight off, with the party, and she had a date. Katara would feel awful to take her away from that. "I'm just going to sleep anyway. I'm fine," she stressed. Zhi nodded.

"I hope you feel better," Yue said as she exited.

"Yeah," Katara's eyelids fluttered, "Me...too…"

She napped for the next couple hours, until she was awoken by a light tapping on her window. At first, she thought it was the wind and rolled back over, until it grew louder and more persistent. Katara blinked, already feeling a little better, and clambered from her bed. She threw open her curtains to see Zuko outside, in the garden area.

"Zuko! Argh, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Katara had not been expecting anyone to be standing out there.

"Are you okay? I would have come sooner, but…" Zuko trailed off. Katara blinked away the sleep, seeing the true worry on his face. All that anger she'd previously thought she had toward him was just...gone. In fact, if she really thought about it, the anger was placed elsewhere. It came in Sokka's voice, which was really irritating, and it pointed out she was angry at herself. Angry because she too fell into the idea of winning a little and had felt excited to hear her name, just for a second. Angry that she felt too many emotions, even now, toward this boy standing outside her window.

"I didn't even get to dance with you," he added. "You seemed to avoid me all night."

"I was everyone's first choice of a dance partner," Katara said softly, seeing that he seemed a little upset, "I wasn't avoiding you." Truth, she had been. But why beat a man when he's already down?

Zuko scanned her body, "You slept in that?"

Katara looked down. She hadn't even taken off her dress. It still looked mostly perfect, but yeah, it wasn't meant to be a pair of sleep clothes.

"Oh, just, crawled in."

Zuko's eyes scanned the inside of her room, "Well, where's your handmaid? She should have helped you-"

"I can take off my own clothes," Katara interrupted him. "I mean," she realized that that didn't sound the best when a faint blush rose on Zuko's cheeks, "well, I'm capable."

"You do know how many buttons that thing has?" Zuko had a fair point. In reality, she probably did need Aiga. She hadn't foreseen this a couple of hours ago. After a slight pause, "Let me." He motioned for her to turn.

"You're going to undress me?" Katara said, all innuendoes intended.

"Well, I...you just...I wouldn't-"

Katara turned back around, shooting him a smile, "Teasing. Just do the buttons enough so I can slide it off."

She didn't feel his fingers on her skin, but she could feel the pressure reliving itself as he popped the buttons down the row from their little ribbon confines. He worked fast, and even if she wasn't facing him, she was guessing the shade of his face.

"Okay, that's good. Now, turn around. I'm going to change into something more comfortable."

She shut her blinds, squeezing herself from the dress. She should just send him away, telling him she felt fine, or that maybe she still felt sick. She shouldn't encourage him, she shouldn't encourage herself. Yet, she couldn't help it. She put on a pair of lounge clothes and joined him in the garden.

"Katara," Zuko began quietly, too hopefully.

"I heard," Katara said tonelessly, "I heard the conversation with Ru. I stumbled across you and well, I didn't quite say what he said I did."

Zuko's whole face seemed to freeze.

"It scared me, to hear that," Katara admitted, crossing her arms across her stomach, "I want to be the second to last one here, not the last, I thi-" She broke off abruptly. She couldn't believe she just said that, or almost said that. Zuko heard, from the way he was ever so carefully looking at her.

"Katara, would it really be so terrible to fall in love?"

The question was too loaded. Katara should just leave right now, turn away. She should lie, tell him he was wishing on the impossible. Her stomach spun uncomfortably.

"Maybe," she answered the quietest whisper, "I could risk it all. What happens if I do and you don't pick me anyway? What happens if it's still a plot your dad is behind? What if-" she licked her lips. "There's just too much I couldn't control."

"And you think I don't worry about those sorts of things?" Zuko's eyes widened, "Katara, don't you see all that I'm risking too?" he asked. When Katara didn't answer, he paced.

"You can leave whenever you want. Too real, you could go now. I might be upset, but you're one girl. Me? I won't leave this without a wife. What if none of these girls are my soul mate? What if I sent her away because I was too hasty? What if I don't choose the right one? What if I'm just alone after all this, or what if they're in league with my dad or with Azula! Have you thought of that?" The grass beneath his feet was steaming.

"I...no," Katara admitted after a long moment, "You're right."

Zuko was still pacing.

"Why don't you just marry quickly, then? If you know that your sister is after your throne?"

"It's crossed my mind," Zuko replied, looking her way, "Everyday. But...I'd rather risk it than be unhappy my entire life."

"You're a romantic." Katara felt a little uneasy, so she sat down. Zuko almost smiled. There was something hanging between them, not just Zuko's admittance, but Katara's too.

"I'm not in love with you," Katara said, "Let me just get that out there."

"Okay."

"I'm not saying never, I'm not saying it's possible either." Katara chewed on her nail. Zuko thought about her words more carefully.

"Okay," he repeated. "I still like you as a friend." he added.

"Yeah, me too." This felt more comfortable. Plus, now that the elephant was gone, they both seemed to suck in a sigh of fresh air, of sweet relief.

"Do you believe in true love?"

Katara realized that his own outburst was still bothering him.

"I do," she said, "I've never felt it, but I've seen it. And, I know it's usually inconvenient."

"Yeah," he agreed, but was pointedly not looking at her. Katara chose to file that away in the box of things she did not touch.

"You also usually don't realize it until it's too late," she added, laying back, staring up. She missed the stars. All the fires going in the city obscured them. At home, she could lay outside as long as she could and trail them with her fingers, connecting invisible lines like pieces of string and beads.

Zuko rolled a piece of grass between his fingers. "That's reassuring," he said dryly.

"That's when you know it's real," Katara said simply, "There are really good girls here. Girls where maybe you won't love them, but you wouldn't be lonely. There's that much."

Zuko didn't make a motion that he even heard her. She realized that maybe it just wasn't her. It was a lot of pressure, this affair, and it had to come crashing down on Zuko eventually. Maybe today was the day.

"Look at me," she said gently. He did so, slowly, "Are you...ok?"

Zuko just shrugged, pressing his lips together. "I'm not sure. I have a lot of thoughts and no time to sift through them," he admitted.

"About girls?"

"About girls."

"Well, talk to me," Katara said. He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Oh, c'mon! We talk about this all the time. Look, just pretend I'm one of the guys." She puffed her chest out and lowered her voice, "Hey dude, I'm Mr. Wang Fire."

This did get a laugh out of him.

"That's an awful name. Is that what you think Fire Nation people are like?"

"I'd like to see you make up a Water Tribe name on the fly," Katara said. She put a piece of her hair between her lip and her nose, pressing it up to give herself a mustache, "Now, c'mon," She hit Zuko's shoulder, "bro."

"Stop, just stop," Zuko's shoulders shook with laughter, "Really. Have you actually ever spent time around guys?"

"My whole life," Katara responded in her masculine tone, "What girls awaken your dragon, man?"

"I'm not going to comment on a fact that a lady like yourself knows that," Zuko's smile was ear to ear, "I'll tell you if you drop that ridiculous persona."

"Deal." Katara twirled her hair around her finger. "Besides me," she started dryly, "what girls could you really see marrying? This is the end point, isn't it?"

"Yeah, scary," Zuko whispered. Although Katara could have been married two years ago, she still couldn't quite imagine it, even now. She still felt so young.

"Well, Yue. And Mai - don't give me that look, I'm serious. I like Jin, too. I mean, there's no one I couldn't see marrying, because I would just send them home," he pointed out.

"But those three?"

"Mhh," Zuko nodded. "Maybe Suki too," he added, "Toph, I just see her like a little sister. I want to keep her around because she makes me laugh, like you do, and she's just so refreshing. Is that mean, though, to kick out another girl so that Toph can stay, when it comes to it?"

"Huh," Katara thought about it, "I dunno. When it comes down to it, you'll know, won't you? Who you'd rather have around?"

"I guess that's a far time away," Zuko agreed, "Weeks, at least."

"Do you have any dates planned after this?"

Zuko gave a quiet shrug. She took that as a no. Then again, this whole ball was a large affair and maybe he'd need a couple days to re-cooperate. He was still dressed in his fancy clothes, Katara noted, but he seemed so relaxed now.

"Katara, tell me about your family," he requested suddenly.

"Why?"

"I just want to know."

"The entire tribe is my family. Literally, we're all loosely related. We used to switch brides with the North a while back, but that's stopped. I mean, there would be choices for me if I didn't…" She saw Zuko's slightly crinkled forehead. "Never mind. Anyway, the whole tribe is my family. We have to be, we all have to live close together. But for actual immediate family, there's my brother, Sokka. He's your age. He wants to be a warrior so badly…"

Once she started talking, she couldn't stop. She talked about how her brother was an awful artist but an amazing strategizer. She talked about how her father loved them equally and had protected her all her life. She talked about how her mother was the strongest person she knew and how she negotiated the terms of their truce between the Fire Nation years ago. She talked about her grandmother and how she was the keeper of the old traditions, which Katara was adamant on learning, even if certain things were outdated. She talked for what felt like hours. Only nearing the end did she consider perhaps he was asking to gain an advantage over her tribe but his face seemed so peaceful that she doubted it. He didn't look like someone hoarding knowledge, but instead like someone who was being read a fairy tale with a happy ending.

"What about your family?" Katara asked once she felt like she'd covered the basics of her family.

"Well, you've met them," Zuko said, sulking.

"Your uncle and cousin seem nice."

Zuko's face lightened. "Yeah, they are," he agreed. But then, the same shadow crossed over his eyes. "But my father...and my sister...I know they're just going to upset me, but I still love them. I hate it," he admitted.

"You love your family."

"It doesn't feel like it often. We feel like a group of strangers. My Uncle has been a better father to me than my own father ever has been. He loved Azula most, I know."

"What about your mom?"

"If she wasn't the Fire Lady, she should have just left by now," Zuko whispered, "She loves me, but she always seems so sad. I heard from Uncle Iroh's wife a long time ago that she left her boyfriend for the Choice." He paused, "I don't think she wanted to come."

"Do you think she thinks about him?"

Zuko shrugged, "I wouldn't know. We don't talk about that stuff. She loves me, but she feels far away most of the time."

He swallowed. "My family is broken, Katara. I wouldn't blame you for wanting to get away from it."

"I'm not so easily scared off," She narrowed her eyes, "Really, Zuko…"

"I'm jealous," he blurted, "Of your family. I wish it were mine. Hearing about you and the way you all live just sounds so...nice." His shoulders hunched. "Here I am, Prince, and complaining. Must sound mad."

"Not at all," Katara murmured, "Family is...well, you don't have to have them be your family, you know. You can also choose your own."

"If you haven't noticed, I don't get out much," Zuko said, "No chance to do that."

"I'm here," Katara offered up. He looked like a puppy that had just been kicked. She meant that, really, that she was there, "As long as you'll have me, even…"

"Whether you love me or not, I couldn't ask you to leave," Zuko said after a long moment, "I want to keep you until the very end, until the second to last person." He looked at her, a soft expression on his face, "I need you Katara, I really do."

Katara expected a flurry of worry or of anger or of emotions that would ruin this moment, but none came. Instead, hearing this settled something in her stomach. She imagined leaving now and it made her feel sick. Hearing him confirm her place comforted her in a way she knew she was going to be thinking about all night, fighting too.

But for the moment, she sat up, leaning against his chest as the watched the fireflies. She admitted something she wasn't sure she had the strength to say, "Yeah, I need you too."

She couldn't have lied to him if she had wanted to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHO WAS EXPECTING SOMETHING LIKE THAT? I BET NOT MANY OF YOU! KATARA HAS THE FEELINS!
> 
> AND AANG?! I betcha never thought Aang was going to show up, and if he was, not here either ;) What can I say? This chapter, and your dear author, is just FULL of surprises heheh...
> 
> I think awhile ago I said I'd upload a pic of myself at HPworld on my tumblr...never got around to that. But, if any of you are interested in what your dear author looks like and what I'm up to every so often (tho, I don't post much) my instagram is FrostedGemstones22. I'm sure you have maybe an idea of what I look like, like maybe I have an idea of you all. Maybe you don't want to know. Maybe it's weird to imagine people on and other sites as humans and not just robots putting out smut. Idk XD Long story short, if you're interested, there it is.
> 
> Anywho, I hope this chapter gives you chills and makes you gasp loudly in public places...but just know, you ain't seen NOTHING yet, hehe


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a week late guys. More on that on the Author's Note below, because, let's be honest, we just want to get to reading the chapter, right?

As it turned out, she actually did have quite the high fever. She spent about four or five days sleeping it off, but she's only told this after. Katara had no sense of days passing by, waking in small spurts to sip down beef broth or nibble on chalky crackers. She was too weak to attempt much else, and Aiga always seemed to be around when she felt the urge to go to the bathroom, guiding her there and back, through Katara's haze. Everything on her body burned.

She had never gotten sick before. She always told herself that it was her own will, that getting sick at home just wouldn't do. There was too much to be done and people couldn't sit around all day to watch over someone ill. So, she was quite miffed about the whole thing, once she came to.

"New environments often bring on sickness, especially with such a difference." This was what she heard Zhi assure Aiga, but then again, she may have just dreamt it.

People came to visit. The chair near her desk was dragged next to where she lays her head. Though, if she were asked to name who it was, she'd be troubled. The face in the chair changed more rapidly the more she tried to pin down specific people: Yue, Eva, Toph, Suki, On Ji, Dhakiya...they all blurred together in an endless loop. Maybe all of them visited her at one point. Maybe none.

When she heard Zuko's cooling tone echo around her room, she wasn't sure if that was imagined too. He was so worried the night of the ball, so it wasn't inconceivable he'd be back again. Especially for show, since it would look poorly if he cared so little about a contestant was was sick that he seemed to forget about them.

He could have been professing his undying love in her room and Katara wouldn't have remembered him being there at all.

As silly as it was, she felt him there, deep in her bones. She couldn't give proof, couldn't recall what he'd said or if he'd spoken at all, but Katara woke and simply knew. Despite everything, that did make her feel a little special.

Sokka's letters had gotten frantic when she didn't send her daily letter. She was informed that somehow the task had fallen to Toph to answer. Katara couldn't figure out for the life of her how it went to the blind girl. Turns out, Zuko had been unsure of who else knew Katara like Toph and didn't want to send the letters himself, for reasons Katara implicitly understood. So, Toph was dictating to Aiga, who had sworn to keep Toph's 'true side' a secret and was instructed to write exactly what she said...every swear-word. At first, apparently, Aiga had tried to dictate Toph's message without it, but Toph could hear how many scratches had been put down on the parchment and wouldn't talk until Aiga edited in the naughty phrase.

Sokka wouldn't tell Katara the exact words she wrote and he also refused to send back the original letters, saying they were 'too good' to give up. Sokka, however, was nice enough to summarize Toph's main points: Looks pretty bad. Your sister might die, might not….I'm no doctor. Who knows? That would totally suck if it did. She's fun to poke right now.

The tone of the letter, of course, sent Katara's parents into a flurry of half-worry and half-fury. Sokka, on the other hand, was apparently laughing so much he could hardly read it out loud.

"Someone appreciates my humor," Toph said when Katara called her in to read back the letter.

"Sounds like there are some alright people there. Glad to see you're making a friend. Didn't think that would happen. Don't die, that would suck." Katara finished reading his letter, smiling inwardly to herself.

"Your brother sound alright too," Toph said, picking at her headband in her hair, "Tell him that too."

Katara laughed, adding it to the bottom of her letter.

"You know, you could just write to him yourself. Or, have someone transcribe," Katara pointed out, anticipating that being their go-between would be frustrating in the long run, if this continued. She didn't like 'using' Aiga, but Aiga insisted she was here for these sorts of things.

"Wouldn't it be strange? In a competition for the Prince, writing another guy?" Toph scrunched up her nose.

"Well…" Katara trailed off. She conceded, mentally, that might be unseemly, "Zuko knows who you are and I mean, if you two were just friends…"

"How much do you think we'll be talking?" Toph laughed, "I think you're creating problems that aren't even there." Toph shook her head and Katara crossed her arms.

"I just don't always want to be adding footnotes that turn into novels that turn into love-,"

"Ergh, stop." Toph shook her head firmly, "I'm not here to fall in love. I'm here to test my freedom, wreck some havoc, and put off a betrothal as long as possible."

Katara tilted her head, giving Toph an 'if you say so' look. She was glad Toph was blind, otherwise she may have gotten punched from that.

When Katara returned to the women's room the first time after being sick, there were a great many calls of relief directed her way, and well-wishes all around. Katara was not accostomed to being around so many friendly girls but was steadily getting more used to it. She even smiled back to many of them.

"Katara!" On Ji waved her over, which was unexpected. Then again, the group was small, and none of her usual companions were present. On Ji was the type that would go out of her way to make sure no one felt left out. Plus, Katara responded to her niceness. Katara figured she was even nicer than Yue, but more in an innocent sort of way, someone whose biggest worry was this game. She knew that On Ji came from a family that toed the line between lower and middle class, and she often expressed her gratitude to be here.

Maybe it wasn't that strange. Katara was picking up friends here and there, somehow. More than just one, take that Sokka.

"I'm glad to see you're okay," On Ji said as Katara joined her on the cushions, "We were all so concerned." She placed a hand on her chest.

Katara swiveled her head to where Nadhari was not so subtly watching Katara from behind a sewing square. Her eyes narrowed at the Water Tribe girl, still healthy.

"Not everyone," Katara said under her breath. Nadhari was probably hoping she'd die, truth be told.

"Well," On Ji frowned, "Most of us. The nice ones." She lowered her voice as though she'd said something scandalous.

"Takes more than a cold to take me out of the game," Katara assured.

"Prince Zuko seemed worried too." On Ji gave a small smile.

"I'd hope. He says he cares for all of us." Katara played with her fingernails uneasily.

"He asked about you when I went out with him last night. A more insecure girl might have been upset, but I just thought it was really sweet of him."

"You went on a date? How was it?"

On Ji blinked, as though surprised that Katara was asking. Katara was trying out being outgoing and nice to girls. Plus, she was getting used to the gossip, the girl talk. She was embracing the character she had to be here.

"Well, he took me dancing. Not like ball dancing, but fun dancing," On Ji squealed in her seat, tapping her feet, "I used to dance all the time…" She gave a small sigh, "But, in my province, it's not 'appropriate' unless it's formal dancing. But since Zuko's the prince and this is the capital, he took me to this amazing little venue…"

Katara listened to her for the next half an hour or so describe their entire night. She seemed to be dying to tell someone. She was so soft-spoken that Katara wasn't sure who she was friends with other than being nice to all, so maybe she was just waiting for someone to ask. Katara didn't find it annoying; she found her descriptions quaint and vivid. Katara could see Zuko ending up with a really kind person like On Ji, a girl who was so enthralled by simple things. She also would be a fair, kind Fire Lady, which Katara thought this country needed. They had Ursa, who fit that bill, but Ursa would only be the Fire Lady for so much longer...

"So what, dancing? I would go dancing like that with friends, not a date," Nadhari broke in.

"I think you might be jealous," Katara replied back. There were perhaps three or four other girls in the room, and the mood shifted to silent shock. Katara was even surprised she said that. Well, might as well continue: "I think you're angry that it sounds like he had a good time with someone that's not you."

"Well, I think all this good-heartedness between all of you is just sickening." She was angrily stuffing her work into a small bag. "This is a competition. You don't want On Ji to have a good date with him," She threw out her hands, shaking her head.

"Sure I do," Katara replied evenly, "Only one of us will win. Why burn bridges while doing it? And, I think On Ji would make an excellent winner, if not me." On Ji sat up taller, brimming from ear to ear with pleasure at Katara's praise.

"You're just stupid, then," Nadhari said before exiting.

"She's just upset," Maiha said once she was sure Nadhari was gone, "She's just upset because, besides you, she's the only one that Zuko hasn't been on a second date with. But you were…" Maiha made a hand motion and although it didn't look like 'sick', Katara still understood.

"Second date...wow, he must have had a few while I was out," she said, leaning forward.

"Lots. Some of 'em weren't 'dates', I'd say," Saya chimed in, "Not like, nights. Sometimes it was just bringing a girl to the library. But if you define dates by spending time alone and getting to know us, yes, dates."

"Oh." Katara frowned.

"I'm sure he'll ask you now that you're better," On Ji placed a comforting hand on Katara's arm. But, that's not what had caused her concern. It was more the question of...had Zuko been lying? When she'd asked him, he'd said he hadn't had dates lines up. Were they all spur of the moment things? Hardly, she figured. She was sure there was some grand calendar somewhere so each girl got a fair distribution.

So why the subterfuge? Why hadn't he told her? He used to be very forthcoming in their letters, asking Katara's opinion on date ideas. Was it because he was now considering her a contender? Did it feel weird to now confide in her? Was their friendship not as strong as she thought it was?

"Careful, don't think too hard. I'm sure it's nothing," Saya joked nervously, and Katara realized she'd been very intensely looking at the ground.

"Oh, it's something else," Katara replied in a faint tone, "Not about him."

"So where do you think he'll take you on the second date. What was the first again?" Maiha tapped her chin, thinking.

"Just dinner, nothing big." It seemed ages ago. "I'm not sure. Wherever, you know."

"That's brave of you," Saya said. Katara, still caught up in her own thoughts, shrugged casually.

"That says a lot. I think it's romantic. Waiting for him to knock her off his feet. With those gentle eyes...he's so cute, you know?"

Katara definitely wanted to opt out of this conversation. She turned away from them purposely, trying to think of how she would pen a letter to Zuko asking him - nicely - what the heck.

"Katara?" Despite her efforts, On Ji was looking at her expectantly.

"Yeah, I guess he looks fine," Katara said.

"Fine? Honey, have you seen him?" Saya laughed so hard she snorted, "So...dreamy…"

"He's a little awkward, though." Katara wasn't sure where this burst of rudeness was coming from. Okay, she knew exactly where it was coming from. But Katara had never been great at censoring anything. Luckily, the girls seemed unfazed.

"I think his awkwardness is so cute." On Ji said decisively, "I'd rather have someone that's careful and caring over a suave ass. I've dated those, so I know."

It seemed impossible that On Ji could be mean to anyone.

"I think he just really doesn't know what he's doing. It's all an act." Katara knew this for a fact. The girls frowned, Saya laughed a little, but then stilted when she realized the other two girls were exchanging long glances.

"Well, what do you like about him, Katara?" Maiha asked. Katara let out a long sigh. She'd dug herself into this hole. Now she had to say something nice or she'd look just as bad as Nadhari, or people may wonder why she was really here.

"Well, he's lonely. But that's good because he's willing to really open his heart to someone, truly. He's not looking for any one thing, he's looking for everything. Mostly, he wants a companion and I can appreciate that. He's incredibly determined, from what he's told me and what Iroh has shared too. I know he'll be a good leader one day, a kind one, and that goes a long way in my book. He's funny without meaning to be, you know? He doesn't even realize he's doing it. And, I like his arms."

She blushed at the end, expecting ridicule or laughter for her girlish end comment, but instead, Saya fanned herself with her hand.

"Oh, those arms! Spirits, don't we know. You can tell he works out," she agreed.

"The rest are really good points, Katara," Maiha seemed deeply pensive, "I feel stupid but I don't think I would have thought of those. No wonder you're the favorite," she said with a tinge of awe.

Katara couldn't let out a sigh of relief. Even if a social disaster was averted, she felt uneasy with what she'd said. It wasn't anything she'd spent a long time thinking about, but it was true. The readiness with which it sprung from her mouth is what concerned her. She felt like personally, she'd said far more revealing things than she'd wanted.

She found it hard to concentrate on anything else that afternoon, with her mind caught between pesky emotions and confusion at Zuko's emotions; and overall, wondering when she became such a girl who cared about these things?

THEPRINCESCHOICE

"Do you know the forms?"

Eva stared at Katara blankly. Eva had hesitantly come forward a day or two ago, asking if Katara would show her some very basic water-bending.

"I never cared at home, since you can only heal and I'm just not nurturing. But seeing everyone bend here…" She'd trailed off, as though she'd admitted a great secret to Katara. Katara merely blinked. She'd never had to teach anyone waterbending before because there was no one to teach. And, it's not like anyone had taught her. Half had come from within her, half she'd taught herself. She'd been told by Sokka she was a 'crappy teacher' on occasion, so she was hesitant.

But, somehow, she'd become friends with Eva, out of all the girls. She'd say perhaps more so than Yue. So, of course, she agreed.

That brought them to this moment.

"The forms," Katara repeated. "Stances. Basic, like this?" She did a couple slowly, achingly slowly. Eva just looked more confused.

"But, I never see you do just one move," Eva said, "And not like that!"

"No, it's not," Katara bit her lip. "You see, you do it all in one. The forms aren't disconnected and move into each other if you were actually bending. And I can break the rules because I know the rules? Got that?" she asked. Eva nodded uncertainty. "You have to be able to master the forms to do anything. Once you know them absolutely perfectly, you can start doing what feels right."

"Shouldn't I just do what feels right now?"

Katara hesitated. That's what she'd done, of course.

"No." Katara didn't know how to teach 'feelings' except her own, "It's a good basis."

Eva wandered around the edge of the pool. "Do other benders do forms?"

"Not like this. Waterbending is all about the fluidity," Katara crouched and circled up, graceful. "Like a fish, you see? Earthbending is about grounding oneself in the earth, making impactful long movements. And firebending is short, rough, and precise. You saw Prince Zuko, a little."

Eva nodded in agreement.

"So, now stance one-"

"What about airbenders?" Eva wondered out loud, now distracted. Katara grit her teeth to keep herself from snapping at her. Eva was looking at Katara with an expectation.

"Well, they're dead. So I can't say." At Eva's slightly disappointed face, Katara continued, "But they say the opposite of water is fire, and that's easy to see. So, if air is opposite earth…" Katara thought for a long moment. "Earthbenders like staying in one place. It's about strength from below to up. So, airbenders probably moved around, a lot."

"Like wind," Eva said.

"Yeah. Like wind."

Eva was very silent. Katara realized it would be a moot point to push her. Besides, she was enjoying just talking. She practically never got to discuss bending theory with others, since most people in her tribe didn't understand.

"It's sad," Eva whispered, "An entire nation just...gone." Her words were breathless. Katara bowed her head. According to her family, the Air Nomads had tried burning things to get rid of the sickness. By the time it got too bad, the fires were out of hand and the Air Temples were practically destroyed. Convenient, considering the Fire Nation would have little left as proof of their wrongdoings if one were to push it.

A misty, slightly terrified look flashed across Eva's face. The Air Nomads had also been around the size of the North. If it was so easy to wipe out a colony that size, how much harder would it be to come for the Water Tribes?

"Katara, they killed the Air Nomads because the next avatar was an Airbender, right?" Eva asked suddenly. Katara felt her heart drop, already knowing where this was headed. "Water is next."

"I don't think he was ever re-born. I think the cycle is just done." Katara said weakly.

"Even you don't really believe that," Eva scoffed, ringing her fingers through her hair, unbraiding them and twisting on the strands. "And the Fire Lord doesn't either, I'm sure. Bending is hereditary, as far as I know. They could come for me, for you," she said in a low, quick murmur.

"Hey, we're at peace now." Katara grasped her fingers tightly, trying to soothe her. "We're fine, Eva."

"Do you really know?" Eva asked biting her lip, "The other girls might be able to prove there are no waterbenders in three or four generations. We can't."

It was in this moment that Katara felt a sisterhood with Eva in particular, one she could not even extend to Yue. She had once thought Eva to be 'simple' in comparison, but now she wondered if Eva was just pressured to be quiet and obedient, like most girls from the North were. Eva was perceptive, now away from her constraints. Somewhere along the way, she'd become friends with Eva too, and the thought of her friend in anguish over this hurt Katara.

"Then I have to make you the best waterbender you can be. So that if they come for us, we'll give them a fight," Katara said softly, inwardly thinking of her own struggles. A new fire of determination lit in Eva's eyes. She stood, firmly.

"Show me the stances. Make me a fighter," she insisted.

And so Katara began.

Their lessons were slow-going, but Eva was absolutely committed to them now. Katara figured that some people were just not as naturally good at waterbending, but for Eva's sake, she was going to teach her.

In between that, Katara found herself wondering about Aang a bit. Mostly because it seemed impossible that Zuko had any free time these days, and she wondered if Aang was lonely here. How long had they been friends? How was he here? Where was he?

She decided to be brave and go to a source who had been a presence in the palace before the games: Ty Lee. Mai might know more, but Katara was not going to ask.

She managed to catch Ty Lee warming up in the gardens on a sunny day.

"Hi Katara," Ty Lee welcomed her enthusiastically. She was contorting herself in a way that Katara thought previously impossible.

"Hey, Ty Lee...sorta weird question, but there was a kid at the ball named-"

"Oh, Kuzon!" Ty Lee broke in. Katara scrunched her nose.

"What? No, he's got blackish hair, wears stuff all over his body to cover scars or something, about yea-high?" she began describing. Ty Lee put herself upright, regularly.

"Uh, yeah, that's Kuzon. He was burned as a child. I mean, I wouldn't mind it, but it sends the wrong sort of message in the palace, you know?"

Katara was pretty sure they were talking about the same people, even if they had been given different names. She decided not to press the name thing - maybe one was a last name.

"So, he's Zuko's friend?" At Ty Lee's curious expression, she rushed to add, "I just didn't know Prince Zuko had friends that lived here with him."

"He was always lonely. Azula had me and Mai. There just weren't a ton of high-class boys," Ty Lee said with a frown, "Poor Zuko. But, anyway, Kuzon appeared like two or three years ago. He's really smart, knows a ton of history. He's really grown up since he arrived," Ty Lee added.

"You know him well?"

"Not well. Azula doesn't like him. She didn't like me asking him questions. Mai didn't really want to get to know him. I would have, but now that I'm in this competition I'm not supposed to talk to boys a ton. So..."

"But he's been living here two years?"

"Or something, yeah." Ty Lee bent backward. "I think there was something from where he came from. Something he can't go back to. Iroh adores him, and Ursa thinks he's charming, and he's really not a nuisance so…" Ty Lee shrugged from upside down.

"Huh. He just seemed interesting when he was at the ball," Katara crossed her arms, "Firebender?"

"I think," Ty Lee frowned. "Yeah, I've seen him firebend," she added after a belated moment. "He doesn't do it a lot though. Never wants to spar with us," she pouted. Katara shrugged. Not everyone liked fighting with their bending. Aang had given off a placid vibe, a non-violent one. She could see how he might be unwilling. Katara saw Toph giving her a 'what are you doing' sort of hand motion from across the garden.

"Well, er, I'll let you get back," Katara said, running her fingers along her neck, almost fishing for the place her necklace hadn't been in days, "Thanks."

"We should talk more, Katara," Ty Lee said earnestly, "I like you."

It was so genuine Katara couldn't help but smile. "I'll make more of an effort," she promised, and meant it to a certain degree. Ty Lee would be a good informant of palace life from another side.

"Great. See you later!"

"Since when do you have things to talk about with Ty Lee?" Toph asked.

"I was asking about Aang, which she knows as 'Kuzon', apparently."

"Damn, this kid just gets stranger." Toph shook her head. "Anything else?"

"I just have more questions than before," Katara sighed, "And I don't see how we'll get answers. Zuko has been dodging my written questions about him and I haven't had a chance to formally bring it up, like in person."

"What the heck is this kid? A ghost? A spirit? Maybe he's a spirit Katara! That would explain why they let him hang around. Don't wanna upset spirits," Toph theorized.

"And then Zuko's only friend would be an apparition? That's depressing," Katara snorted. "As interesting as that is, I don't think so."

"I do," Toph said firmly, "Until you give me something else, I'm sticking with it."

THEPRINCESCHOICE

In the following days, Mai organized a sparring competition. Katara wouldn't have expected it, but she wondered if there had been some pushing from Ty Lee. Any girl could join. A few stuck their noses up at it, including Saoirse, but there was a lot of interest.

Katara had been thinking a lot about Eva's choice to learn waterbending seriously. If Katara was being honest with herself, there was a part of waterbending that she was avoiding too...healing. If Eva could become a model student, Katara could commit herself to this. Besides, she told herself, there could come a point in a fight when healing was just as useful. If someone was bleeding out, if Katara was bleeding out, she couldn't very well win.

So, she offered herself up as the healer because it seemed no one else was anyway. She wanted to be part of it, but Eva had brought up other good points, unknowingly.

Katara had only ever been exposed to waterbending before coming here, and only her own self mirrored in the sea. The theory of bending wasn't anything new, but to Katara it was. She figured that if she could chart a bender's actions, she'd be that much more ready to fight against them. She would take time for careful observation and recording. She didn't want to find herself in a situation where she was outmatched because someone had seen a waterbender before and knew to go for the arms. Until Toph, she wouldn't have known that an Earthbender used their feet often to ground themselves and push the earth forward. She wouldn't have known that a firebender's flames come from within. She would have looked positively stupid.

And, there were non-benders to consider. This, she was minorly more comfortable with, as her whole tribe was non-benders. Sokka wasn't the greatest warrior, but she was sure her father was. She'd seen him with a sword.

But not everyone here fought with swords. Mai had knives. Suki had fans. Ty Lee had...well, she wasn't sure what Ty Lee had, but the girl signed herself up quite enthusiastically. Point was, the options for non-benders were so many more than bending, and she should watch as many forms as she can. Maybe she'd practice them herself if she found it feasible.

She thought of Zuko. When she'd apprehended him as the 'Blue Spirit', he'd had two dueling swords. From the wear on the handle and the blade, she knew it wasn't just decoration. Zuko was a firebender that had taught himself a back-up, should the need ever arise. He was smart. She needed to be smart too if she was going to continue being here.

Katara was thrown right into the healing world by needing to mend June's ribs in the first match against Toph, who practically steam-piled her.

"Should have known she was going to be tough," June seethed, "No one who looks that innocent is ever so."

"Toph is...something else," Katara agreed. "Hold still."

"It tickles." June frowned, but tried not to move. Katara licked her lips as she rubbed her hands over the spot. It was a weird sensation, because it wasn't that the water was healing her patients, per se, but it was that the water on her hands was connecting with the water in June's body and telling it how to heal faster. Katara didn't know the specifics of refusing bones, but somehow her fingers did.

"So, did Zuko ever bring your shirshu?" Katara hardly talked to June and she hadn't heard much about it.

"Yes. I don't get to see her much, what with this lockdown, but I'm glad to know she's near."

"We don't really have pets in Water Tribe," Katara commented.

"Because you have to eat them?" June snickered.

Katara was nearly offended until she thought about it. She gave a long sigh. "Yeah, basically. Anything that's not worth eating just wouldn't stay domesticated. It's not for lack of trying, though." Katara recalled how Sokka had tried to hide a penguin-seal for four days as a child. He had been trying to make him obedient, but all it did gnaw on his sheets and make whining sounds. "But she can find anything? Anyone?" Katara changed the subject back.

"You need someone found?" June raised a surprised eyebrow.

"No. I just, well, has he ever tried to find airbenders?" Katara asked. June gave a sad smile.

"I wish it were that simple. But it's specifics Niylah finds. Not groups of people hiding together, unless I had a scent of one." She considered it. "It would be something. To find airbenders, I mean."

"You think they're still around?"

"I have to figure, something. They were monks, but they had to procreate, and since the dawn of time humanity has been getting it on with other groups. Who's to say they're not among us, just dormant? If evolution was smart at all, it would hide the gene, you know?"

"Yes," Katara agreed. "Okay. This is going to hurt," she warned as she prepared to click the bone back together.

"I'm a lot stronger than - holy fucking stars. You weren't kidding." June's forehead was perspiring, and Katara thought many would have passed out at this point.

"Should be okay now," Katara said with a minorly apologetic smile, "But, I wouldn't join in again."

"Sucks. I'm out anyway." June waved a hand. "What is Ty Lee doing?" Her gaze had moved past Katara. Katara contorted her body so that she could finish up with June's wound and see what the dark, gothy girl was talking about.

Ty Lee was spinning around, going up against Caecillia, who was burning at her feet. If it hurt, Ty Lee didn't stop.

"She gonna dance her way to victory?" Katara asked out loud. June snorted hard, covering her mouth.

"Well, I guess she could be getting Cillia tired," June reasoned. Katara nodded, totally enthralled with Ty Lee's movements.

"It's like she's not touching the ground," Katara observed, "Wow."

Ty Lee suddenly jabbed forward and Caecillia's firebending stopped. The ginger girl frowned at her hand, now hanging limply, and tried bending with the other hand, but Ty Lee was faster. In a matter of moments, she had incapacitated the poor girl, who was sprawled out on the grass and looked alarmingly corpse-like.

Katara leaped up.

"Hey, whattabout me?" June called.

"You're fine!" Katara snapped back. When she reached Caecillia, a small group had formed, hovering worriedly. Caecillia was still breathing, and Katara saw her eyes flicker frantically. She summed water and waved it over her, trying to find the broken bones.

Nothing was broken, however. Yet, there was some force pushing against her, shoving her healing powers out.

"Ty Lee," Katara's voice was strangled. "What in the name of Tu and La did you do?" she asked, spinning around.

"Her chi is blocked," Ty Lee said with a shrug, "Something I've picked up."

"But I can't heal her."

"There's nothing to heal." Mai's drawl quieted the crowd, "She's just incapacitated, paralyzed. It wears off in an hour or so. She'll be perfectly fine. She might be really exhausted, but it's not how you think."

"Really," Ty Lee looked horrified at the dirty looks she was getting, "It's just putting a stop to your natural balance. She'll feel sore, but I would never kill her!"

"I've heard of it," someone from the Earth Nation piped up, "Never seen it though…"

Katara tried healing again, but the blockers were a hindrance. She didn't see any wounds, or breaks, or severed items, so she leaned back on the heels of her feet.

"She should be put in bed. It's much more comfortable than here," Eva pointed out, "I'll help you take her, Katara."

Together, they hoisted the listless Caecillia between the two. The firebender's eyes were alight with shameful fire. Katara made a mental note to talk more to Ty Lee about this. It required being close-up, but if she was really backed into a corner it could be invaluable. Plus, as a bender, she was aligned to the sensations of chi, which not many were. She knew that chi was the root of bending, of a person. She'd never considered pausing one's chi, because it seemed so offensive, whereas Katara and her tribe were on the defense against their enemy.

Katara sat with Caecillia until she could move again, since Zhi had arrived and they had to pause their little tournament.

"How do you feel?" Katara asked.

"Like my limbs have no bones." Caecillia spoke and carefully flexed her fingers, and then her whole arm, "Did not see that coming. Like, at all."

"We know now. The other contenders."

"Shitty that I had to be the guinea pig." Caecilia rubbed her eyes. "My mother would be ashamed of that performance," she mumbled to herself, "Thank stars, she's not here."

"Intensive training at home?" She asked.

"My parents are desperately trying to re-align the connection to the throne. It's stupid, we were the bastard line of Azulon's grandfather. Not even a good part of the throne. Anyway, they figure that the militia is a way to rise the ranks to praise and glory, since a war general can be just as celebrated as lesser parts of the royal family. I mean, when this option came up, I wasn't surprised they didn't give me a choice."

"I'm sorry," Katara was unsure of what to say.

"It is what it is, huh?" Caecillia pointed to a pile of half-opened letters. "I'm 'middling' in the pools, according to mum. Not good enough. Short of stripping in front of the prince, I'm not sure how to win his favor. I'm this close to actually doing that," Caecillia held up her fingers, "I would ask you how to woo him, but we're in competition, so…"

As it was, Katara wouldn't have had any reasonable suggestions for her, so she was glad Caecillia didn't ask.

Caecillia rolled her shoulder blades. "Damn, that really hurts. I've felt aches, but this is totally different. Chi-blocking, she said?"

Katara nodded. Caecillia tutted in disappointment.

"It will take days to re-align," she bemoaned, "Mine has always felt off-kilter while firebending, and we had a guru come in to fix it and, well, here I am." She deflated.

"If Ty Lee had known-"

"It's a competition, this whole thing. I don't know if she would," Caecillia said, anticipating Katara's comment.

Katara sat in a silence. Caecillia seemed to take it as a sign to continue, or she just simply wanted to talk. "That's the thing about the people at the palace, The High Class Firenationers...they're like that, Katara. And I'm nearly one, so I've seen it all my life. They seem real nice, but in reality, they all are driven by the same fire. The fire that caused a rift between two brothers, the fire that's boiling over between Azula and Zuko right now. Yes, sometimes," Caecillia played with her sheets, twirling it around her hands, "Sometimes I think it would be better to run far away from this life altogether."

"But Zuko doesn't seem…" Katara couldn't help but blurt out, frowning hard.

"Seem, huh," Caecillia repeated, "You'd better bet that growing up in the palace like this, even the purest soul would be eventually tainted."

"No," Katara stood, "I don't think you're sure what you're saying. Zuko is only kind, careful. I have to believe he's not like the rest of the family or…" She trailed off, scrunching her nose.

"Yeah, I know. Or is this worth it, at all? I'm not sure if this is for me…" Caecillia yawned, clearly exhausted, and at this point Katara wasn't sure if she realized what she was saying. "But don't tell my mum that, she'd freak. Anyway, I'm going to..." Caecillia dozed off mid-sentence. Katara sat in the chair silently for a few moments, fists clenched, before giving a resolute shake of her head and leaving to find Suki or Toph.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know this wasn't the most exciting chapter to have to had wait a whole week for, I get it. BUT THE next TWO chapters are Zuko/Katara's first 'date'! I had so much to write that I had to split it across TWO WHOLE CHAPTERS so basically expect like just serious fluff for the next two weeks lol.
> 
> For those of you that suspected foul play...just, keep those threads in the back of yer mind.
> 
> So, my apology for having this a week late. Last week, my school was so stressful and I had so many things due that I didn't even touch my laptop for non-school related reasons until about this last Thursday. And, I had just a mentally awful week. Also, up until yesterday, I hadn't slept for more than 5 uninterrupted hours. So, yeah. It wasn't my intention to leave you hanging, but things just didn't work out. In the future, if this happens again, I'll update you all on my art/fanfic tumblr so you're not worried or wondering. And I get that this story for some people really makes your day, is what YOU all do to relax. And I didn't get any of this on here, but on another platform, I got a nasty message about not updating with angry faces. Like, that's never okay. I am doing this for free in my free time (the little of it that I have) and while I've been lucky enough to be able to update weekly, real life comes first. Mental health comes first.
> 
> I brought this up a LONG time ago but some of my reviewers on another platform have reached a free drabble by me! You have to review ten chapters to get it, but like actual messages, not just 'update' or whatever to get something written. Plus, leave a kudo here so others read this story too ;) The instructions are on my ff profile...but, I plan on putting the drabbles on here and tumblr so the first chapter will be just the instructions so you all can see it too (the rules that is). Some of you on here are pretty close to getting one! 
> 
> As an apology for a week late, because I wish I was Hermioen and had a time turner and could go back to last Fri to update, everyone will get an extra 'review' so you're one step closer to a drabble.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all! We just had a little bit of something weird going on with the chapters and formatting going on between me and my beta, but we're all square now. And, I think you all will really like this chapter.

Katara began to lose track of days. At home, there was always something that needed to be taken out on the ninth day, something that needed to sit in salt water for five, or someone who'd been sick this long that kept Katara's mental calendar well-used in her mind. But here, since there weren't pressing matters, eventually the days began to lull into one big thought. She was sure that this wouldn't be how it always was, if she weren't in this competition. Zuko seemed plenty busy and even if he had an attendant reminding him about events, he had to have some sense of the days, didn't he? And the Fire Lady would likely need this skill too, because at least back home, Kya did as much as her father did, and usually it was vastly different tasks.

Some of the girls, like Yue, also seemed distressed by this phenomenon. There were girls, however, that just blinked blankly at the pair of them when they began asking around, as though they'd never had to keep track of dates in their life. Perhaps they hadn't. Katara imagined they must lead boring lives, then, to never need such a skill.

If it weren't for Sokka's little passing notes, she may have completely lost track of time. Sokka would just offhandedly say something, like that the trout they caught was done marinating, and from there Katara would recall that he went fishing three letters ago, so it was at least six days later, and from there she could almost see the fragments in her mind. But not quite.

Either way, she reckoned she'd spent about two months and a little over in the palace. Zuko was still hectically taking girls on dates, although usually one a day now. Katara chalked this up to two possible reasons.

One, he was lonely. Two, this period was the most important, since he would probably soon start cutting girls again. Once it got down to a more reasonable number, maybe like fifteen, Katara imagined he'd feel as though he knew the contestants pretty well. Right now, he just wanted to make sure he was picking the right ones to stay. He said so in his letters, although not directly.

They were still exchanging letters at least once a day. He had gone back to asking questions about particular girls, and it seemed he trusted Katara again, so she let the incident that had happened before go. She imagined that she was reading into things, and that maybe he just hadn't told her because she'd been sick? Either way, since she didn't care about his heart much, she wasn't going to obsess over it. Some of the girls here compared dates down to the exact words spoken, so much so that they almost seemed to have a chart about what was a good comment and what was a bad one, and which, out of the good, was the best. Katara, nor Toph, did not have this chart. Kilee once tried to explain to Katara why Zuko offering a compliment on someone's dress over responding with a good answer when prompted was a big deal. Katara frankly didn't see it and Kilee eventually gave up.

It was perhaps twelve or so days later when Zuko's letter to Katara had a note at the bottom letting her know that she'd be his next date, the day after tomorrow. It wasn't quite as formal anymore, with the guards coming to collect girls. Now he sent gilded letters on platters to girls via their handmaids. It was cutting out the middleman, Zuko explained, or at least one of them. He mentioned that eventually, he'd be able to just talk to the girls and walk through the halls without getting overwhelmed. That was far away to Katara, however, even if he started cutting a girl or two a week.

She found herself looking forward to it, excited, and this was not acceptable to her. She had a litany of reasons why she was feeling this way; like, it would be nice to talk to a guy, not a girl. But Toph was more of a guy than a girl, wasn't she? Or, getting to walk outside of the confides of the women's area would be a change. Plus, she hadn't forgotten that Zuko had said he'd take her out of the palace and into town. That had been comparatively a long time ago, so she hoped he recalled. He seemed to have a good mind so it was possible and Katara tried to tell herself she was just looking forward to that.

And so what if she was looking forward to talking to Zuko? He was a friend, wasn't he? And one was excited to talk to a friend or to spend time with them, weren't they? And this was a very logical explanation. Yet, that wasn't it. Katara wasn't sure what it was, but she knew she didn't like it.

She was unsure of what to wear; not because she was nervous, she said under her breath, but because she wasn't sure how one dressed when going out of the palace walls. Did they wear ornate items to show they were with royalty? Or did they were more casual clothes because they were going among the people? She almost left her room to ask Suki, until Katara walked straight back to her closet, closed her eyes, and picked something out. Why did she care so much about what she was going to wear? She didn't, obviously.

She sat in her dress on her bed, feet bouncing as she imagined what their date might look like. What the town might look like? Was it bustling or quiet? Would there be a celebration going on? Did it smell bad?

To be quite honest, all Katara knew of Fire Nation towns were the glimpses she'd seen from the palanquin riding in, and that was obscured by the tinted chiffon of the windows. She'd tried to push them aside, but Pan and Liao hadn't let her, lest someone try something.

She got up, tucked her waterskin under her dress, and walked to the double doors. The guards checked the list they had, nodded, and let her into the greater palace. Zuko was early, already anticipating her.

"Katara! You look nice!"

Katara was reminded of what Kilee said. She really just thought Zuko thought she looked nice. That was kind of him. Still, she wondered what the girls would say, if they knew.

"It's been a while." They hadn't formally spoken since the night in the garden. She hadn't even seen him since then, to be honest. It was almost like she'd forgotten, just for a moment, that he wasn't the Prince the girls spoke about but her Zuko. She bit her tongue; not that he was 'hers' like she owned him, but more that he put on a different face around her.

No one heard her thoughts but her, yet she still needed to clarify.

"I know." Zuko let loose a tiny frown. "But I think you're going to enjoy today," he said, his face brightening again. Katara grinned, shoving away all the nagging thoughts that had been following her around. This day was supposed to be fun. It was going to be fun.

"Lead the way!"

Zuko began leading her through the palace, and interestingly, away from the direction she'd assumed was the front door. She wondered if maybe he had just forgotten. Should she bring it up? Nah, she was sure whatever they were going to would be cool. And yet…

"Not to shoot you down, but remember how you said we'd go into town?" she asked, tilting her head.

"We will," Zuko said confidently, "I have something else to show you first." He looked giddy, overwhelmingly excited to show her whatever he was leading her to. He paused, turning, "Unless, you just want to go into town. It's your call, Katara."

"How long do we have?"

"The whole afternoon. Hours," Zuko assured, his shoulders breathing in a sense of relief.

"The whole afternoon? Geeze." Katara blinked, shocked at how long their date was set to be.

"Frankly, I should have had another date with you sooner, but I wanted to make sure you were well. So, this is two dates shoved together," He made a little motion with his hand, "There's plenty to do in town, if you just wanted that."

"No," Katara shook his head, recalling his smile, "Now I'm curious. Where are you bringing me?"

It seemed that he took her to the back of the castle, and down a flight or two. There was a door, which he opened, that lead to a dark tunnel. He motioned to Katara.

"Nothing is going to eat me in here, like a dragon, right?"

"Katara, dragons aren't around anymore." Zuko 'pffted.' "And nothing is going to eat you. I thought you were braver than this?" At his teasing taunt, Katara strode into the dark without a moment's hesitation.

It opened into a bright light. Once her eyes adjusted, she realized they were standing in the middle of a grand arena. And, scattered all around the area's dusty floor were a variety of training equipment, like poles or ropes or things to hit. Katara inhaled sharply; it was amazing in here.

"Agni Kai's don't happen very often, but they're frequent enough in the royal world," Zuko explained coming up behind her, "But I convinced my father in the meantime, this area would be best served as a training facility. One for all benders, since we have Water Tribe or Earth Kingdom representatives often. But, no one really uses it except me and Lu Ten. Can't complain, though." He gave a soft twitch of a smile.

"Is this where you practice?" she asked. While being out in the open was nice, this place had all the things the garden didn't have, like targets and strength materials.

"Every day," he nodded. She walked out to the center of the dusty ground. Her eyes scanned the seats, which looked pretty full of cobwebs.

"Last time we actually had people in here was for my fight, and even then, just family." Zuko followed her gaze.

"Does anyone else know about this place? I mean, the girls?" she asked after a moment. He tilted his head.

"Do you want anyone else to?" he asked. Katara considered it. Before she could think, she felt herself shake her head. Zuko didn't seem offended by her selfishness.

"I wasn't planning on telling the rest. I didn't think they'd like it here the way you would," he said quietly. "If the damn Equalists weren't around, you all would be free to roam the castle. You could come here anytime you wanted," he said with a hint of sadness.

"Yeah, that would be cool," Katara agreed. Zuko seemed deep in thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Come," he said, motioning for her to follow him. They came through another tunnel into a clean looking room. It had baths for cleaning off afterward and little cubbies to set items.

"Here," Zuko said, throwing her a ball of cloth. She unfurled it to see a simple set of shorts and a top, "I would have told you to bring something fight-worthy, but I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Are we going to spar?" Katara's eyes lit up.

"We don't have a ton of time. I thought maybe our next date. But, I also thought I'd let you try it out, and we could warm up and go through some of our motions together. You know, exercise before we go into town and eat a ton of really unhealthy street food," he offered. Katara nodded enthusiastically.

"That sounds...incredible." It really did. It's almost like he plucked from her mind all the perfect moments to make a perfect date. If she was interested in him romantically, she would be beyond impressed by this whole day.

"You can go and change over there," he said, pointing to an area that could be curtained off. As she turned to change, and him too, a worker scuttled into the area. Katara stopped, turning.

"Prince Zuko!" The man sounded relieved, "We need you at once."

"No," Zuko refused firmly, "I'm on a date."

The man looked at Katara apologetically, "Then you understand we wouldn't summon you unless it was truly important." Katara frowned; according to the palace, the Choice was the most important item. To have something one-up that…?

"It will just be twenty minutes, nothing more. But we do need your presence, sir," the man continued, seeing the torn look on Zuko's face.

"Go," Katara said, startling both men, "If it is this important, I'm definitely not in competition with it." She shook her head, "You'll be back. I'll just warm up myself, or wander around the arena."

Zuko looked eternally grateful he didn't have to decide this himself.

"Okay. No more than you said," he warned the man, "I'm really, so sorry, Katara."

"I get it," Katara said meaningfully. "You're a Prince. I'm a Princess," she reminded and chuckled. She would be bound under the same expectations if the situation was reversed. Plus, what if it was about the Equalists?

He gave a soft smile and left with the man.

Katara changed and found some tape to roll around her hands. She knew her arms were the least strong and she'd seen a punching bag. Maybe she could try her luck there? The stronger she could punch, the stronger she could throw a wave, right?

She tied up her hair, pushing the door into the arena. Though, when she arrived, she saw a figure already in the middle. She was about to turn around when she realized it was Aang...or Kuzon...whatever his name was.

In her excitement, she'd forgotten to ask Zuko about it. It was something she felt she should do face to face anyway.

She didn't make her presence known, but instead shrunk so only her head peeped past the barrier to watch him. This felt totally wrong, but she'd picked up important information sneaking before, and this kid was up to something.

She saw he'd shed his heavy robes. Right now, he was just in a pair of loose fitting pants with no shirt on. If she cared about how he looked, he was pretty well defined. That was not what was most interesting, however. It was that, peeking out onto his forehead, down his back, and gilded on his arms and legs, were blue arrows. And, there wasn't a single burn marring his body.

Something in the back of her mind lit up, some long forgotten memory or feeling. It seemed familiar to her, although she couldn't place it. It was something she'd seen long ago, as a child, but what exactly was it?

She watched Aang do a couple moves with his hands, but no fire came out. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, tilting her head. Was he an earthbender, maybe? There was a chill in the arena that hadn't been there before though. She very much doubted he was a waterbender, but bending water into ice would explain the coldness. His movements were all wrong though. It wasn't even a bastardization of the forms, it was something else.

He wound his hands as though he was rolling a ball of yarn. Something was materializing between his palms. It almost looked like-

Katara bit her lip hard. She felt like she couldn't breathe. The ball got bigger and bigger and soon it was large enough for Aang to ride on, zipping around the arena, off the ground.

He was airbending.

Katara slammed herself so hard against the wall that all the walls shook. She slapped both her hands over her mouth to keep from making a sound, and she felt her legs collapse under her. Holy shit. An airbender? She was crazy! She was seeing things. Did Zuko know? Should she leave? Confront him?

She didn't even hear his footsteps as he approached because the rapid pounding of her own heart was five times louder.

Aang's face was careful. She was still sitting on the dirt, eyes wide and fingers quivering as they pressed hard over her lips.

"You saw it, didn't you?" he asked in a low, careful voice. When she didn't speak, he added, "Airbending."

Hearing him say it felt strange. She now recalled that when she was very young her grandmother had been teaching her about the different benders. She'd drawn arrows in the snow and told Katara they were tattoos given to master airbenders. They were modeled after their most popular animal, flying bisons. Then, Sokka had stumbled through with his boomerang, kicking up fluffy snow.

She hadn't thought of that, until now.

She gave a quick, terrified nod.

"Zuko trusts you a lot so," Aang rubbed the back of his neck, "You'd probably figure it out eventually but…" He snapped his fingers and at the top of his index finger was a tiny, impossible flame, "I'm also the Avatar."

And, Katara would deny this to her dying breath, but this was the point she passed out.

THEPRINCESCHOICE

Someone was pouring ice water over her face. She sputtered, blinking away the fuzzy darkness on the edges of her eyes. She was confused, until she saw the nervous face of Aang above her, biting his lip and holding a very large bucket.

"You're the Avatar," she repeated breathlessly, "You're the Avatar…" The words replayed over and over in her mind, "How are you not dead?" she demanded, "And is your name Kuzon or Aang? How are you here? Does Zuko know?"

"Hey, hey," Aang helped her up, "I'll answer it all, just, calm down."

"Calm down?" Katara's voice rose an octave, "You've been gone 104 years and no one knows you're alive and you just want me to calm down?"

"Okay, right," The arrowed boy frowned, "Well, I'm Aang. Not Kuzon. Though, don't say that out loud. Everyone except you and Zuko thinks my name is Kuzon. Aang is just a recognizably airbender name. I slipped up with you, an accident," he said.

"So no one knows you're an airbender, except Zuko," she said as her brain tried to connect all the little dots. Aang nodded.

"He found me. We figured the safest place for me was right under all their noses, where they'd never expect me. He dug up some fancy family tree from Fire Nation, added my name, and ka-zam, I'm an important person around here," he said, "No one's caught on, although, I think Iroh knows…" He frowned.

"Toph, Toph knows." Katara threw out, "She knows you're Aang. She knows you're lying, but not about what."

"The blind one?" Aang's face grew white, "Do you trust her?" Katara understood that her knowing this was life or death. His life, specifically.

"I do," she said without skipping a beat, "She'll keep it safe, but we have to tell her, or she'll just keep pulling the thread. She already thinks you're a ghost."

"I mean, she's not wrong," Aang rubbed his head, "I have all the ghosts of the former Avatars inside of me."

"Splendid. Toph will never shut up about it now." Katara paused. "Zuko is keeping you safe?"

"At first, that's all it was. Somehow, we became friends. We're both outcasts in a way. Honestly, I think sometimes I'm the only friend he has." Aang looked a little sad, "He's so lonely, in a lot of ways. I always made friends easy. It's not like that for him. That's why he really likes you. A friend."

"So you know I'm not here romantically, then."

"Yeah," Aang winced, "Zuko tells me a lot. I hope that's okay."

Katara shrugged. What was said was already said.

"So, why are you here, other than for safekeeping? Shouldn't you be saving the world?" she asked.

"I wish it were so easy. Firstly, I only know airbending. Zuko's been teaching me firebending. There are still two others to learn, to master, mind you. Secondly, it's not just that simple anymore. I live here in the palace; I see the gray everywhere, Katara. I thought saving the world would be simpler…more black and white…but it's not." Aang's forehead creased deeply. He took a deep breath, trying to somehow rid himself of the thoughts, at least in this moment, "Once Zuko becomes Fire Lord I can do my job easier but right now, it's best to stay low, at least that's what Zuko keeps saying. Third, we both believe that some airbending genetics have to have survived. If there are other airbenders out there, I need to find them. And, I'd hear about it here first, since Ozai would want them gone."

"Wow," Katara said, "That's a lot."

"Yeah, well-"

"Aang!" Zuko's irritated voice echoed through the arena, "You're not supposed to be here today!"

"Yeah, I know, I know," Aang rolled his eyes. "…now," he added softer.

Zuko looked halfway between pissed off and fearful. "There was a timeline, Aang, for telling Katara. A motherfucking timeline. And that's just gone now. She has to know, she looks pale."

"I know. Airbeindg. Avatar. Here, in secret." Katara could really only manage a few phrases. It made her happy, though, to hear that Zuko had been planning to tell her, albeit at a later date.

Zuko let out a breath of air and all that came out was steam. "I guess it's already done…" he mumbled, "So, meet the Avatar." He gave an unceremonious wave of his hand. Aang waved.

"He's answered a lot of my questions already." Katara said, starting to feel less woozy. Aang saw her face and offered her some water. "Why was he airbending in the open if it's imperative this stays secret?" she asked.

"Yes, Aang," Zuko crossed his arms, "Why were you?"

"Well, Azula and Ursa are out in town all day, Ozai had to go a town over for a meeting, Iroh is in meetings, and Lu Ten is off in Earth Kingdom. I didn't think anyone would see me. You know it kills me that I can't practice it."

"You know what else would kill you? Literally kill you? Someone not so understanding as Katara seeing," Zuko sounded like a parent chiding a child, "Aang, this could have been really bad."

Aang's shoulders slouched. "I know."

"Agni." Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just, we have to be careful," he said.

"I know, dad," Aang rolled his eyes, teasing, "Except that, you know, I'm old enough to be your great-great-great grandpa."

"Shuttup."

"Wait, you're not reborn? You really are 100 years old?"

"116," Aang corrected. He wiggled his fingers, "Science? Magic? I dunno, but I was...preserved." Katara drew her legs up to her knees.

"Aang, why don't I take over," Zuko suggested, "Iroh wanted to talk to you anyway."

"He still in the war office?" Zuko nodded curtly, and Aang put back on his shirt and headband, "Okay. I'll, uh, see you later Katara."

"Bye, Aang," Katara replied quietly.

"See you around, Zuk." Aang said, raising an eyebrow. Zuko nearly cracked a smile.

"Yeah, yeah." She could tell Zuko wasn't angry, but more so frustrated with Aang. "See you tomorrow, Aang."

"Why not tonig -oooh!" Aang's eyes widened, and then he laughed, "Well, have fun."

"Shoo! Before I set you on fire," Zuko threatened good naturedly, his whole face red. Aang didn't stick around, and Katara couldn't help but chuckle into her hand. Zuko turned to her.

For a moment, she and Zuko just stared at each other.

Then, Zuko laughed, his whole face breaking into a genuine grin.

"I never understand what it meant to be the 'dad friend' until I met Aang," he said, and Katara couldn't help but laugh too.

"When were you going to tell me?" she asked. Zuko rubbed his hands over his face.

"At least a month from now, if not more. I wanted to settle things with the girls. Keeping Aang alive and juggling all these dates is difficult." Katara snorted. Zuko shrugged, "I mean, seriously speaking, there's a lot for him to handle." Katara understood he was speaking about Aang.

"I mean, the Avatar wouldn't pick someone who couldn't handle all this, right?" Katara didn't know much about Avatar lore, but this seemed logical to her.

"I suppose, if he were older. He just never really had a chance to be kid. So, yeah." Zuko kicked at the ground. After a moment, he crawled onto the bleachers next to her, his long legs stretching out over a couple rows.

"But you didn't have a childhood, it seems," Katara narrowed her eyes.

"It's debatable," Zuko shrugged, "I had everything I could want as a kid though. New toys, new books, new friends...I say friends rather sarcastically, since they just didn't want to get on Ozai's bad side, or they wanted something from me. But, I always knew I was going to grow up and have responsibilities, even if I didn't think it would be the Fire Lord. From what Aang's told me, they aren't supposed to tell avatars who they are until they turn sixteen. When Aang was eleven, the sickness began in the Air Temples. On his twelfth birthday, the monks thought it reasonable to speed up the timeline. Twelve years old, the entire world resting on him. That's gotta be tough. He freaked out, more or less, took his flying bison into the night. They went through rough storms, fell into the water. The avatar spirits saved him, created a cocoon around him. By the end of the year, the avatar was declared missing, and the Air Temples had been killed off and burned. Then A hundred years later I found him, and he's just been cooped up here, still knowing he has the world on his shoulders. He makes mistakes. He's my best friend and I just don't want to see him killed. That's a very real possibility."

"How did you find him, though?" Katara frowned, "And you've been keeping him safe, what, two years?"

"Five, technically," Zuko corrected. He paused, nodding in resignation, as though realizing Katara wanted the long version, not the short one.

"When I around fifteen or sixteen, my father decided I was old enough to start thinking about my future. He wanted to start the Prince's Choice then."

"But I was told that you were doing it because you came of age this year," Katara interrupted.

"I did. At that age, I think he was planning on me picking someone, setting up a betrothal and then keeping her here until I came of age, grooming her to be subservient basically. At that age, I only had a crush on Mai, who didn't give me the time of day. And I had the thought 'why do the choice anyway, if I'd just pick her.' I suppose I realized I wasn't ready for a girlfriend, much less a wife, and I was terrified that I'd choose wrong. So, I took a page out of Lu Ten's book."

"You...ignored it and left?" She recalled what Lu Ten had said during tea.

"Well, when you put it like that," he rubbed his chin, "Yes. An expedition was setting out to make sure the territories were in order. It wasn't long after this." He pointed to his scar, "So as it was, I wasn't really keen on sticking around in the palace. Uncle Iroh helped convince my father that taking the reins on this expedition would make me wise, give me an adult responsibility. He pointed out we could just do it when I returned, the Choice. Azula also really pushed for me to lead this trip."

"Azula?" Katara blinked, "There had to be a catch."

"I'm sure Azula planned on trying to undermine me here," Zuko shrugged, as though it wasn't a big deal, "And I realized that. And I considered staying, going through with the Choice, but in the end, I couldn't do that to my future wife who I'll pick here. Because she likely wouldn't have been in that pool, you know? Plus, my mom apparently kept an 'annoyingly close eye' on my sister."

"You're sort of a bad politician," Katara decided, "But a good person." She put a hand on his shoulder.

"It was a gamble, yeah," he agreed, "Anyway. I just took a boat and some soldiers and went off. One of the last places to visit was around the area of the Southern Poles."

Katara winced, "Ah." She could remember vividly that around five years ago, they had seen a Fire Nation ship far out in the sea. She was now sure it was him, since there hadn't been any more ships since the one that took her here. It was bizarre to imagine that Zuko was on that boat, and she was in the Southern Poles, and that they would have been strangers, since they were so familiar now.

"We just observed from afar," Zuko said stiffly, "But, I went out on a small boat myself so that I wouldn't draw attention to your people. About a hundred miles from where you guys are, I thought I was lost. I got frustrated and accidentally melted some ice-caps in about a mile radius. The warmth must have shifted something because the next thing I knew, this huge glowing glacier was breaching." He made elaborate hand motions. "I thought it was a dragon. I mean, glowing, blue…I dunno, it sounds stupid now but it made sense then. I went and whacked at it because I saw two eyes light up. Imagine my complete surprise when a child comes out of the ice with a goddamn flying bison."

"Aang has a flying bison?" Katara lifted her head, "here?"

"Where would I keep that without people getting suspicious?" Zuko raised an eyebrow, "No, it's with a friend in the Earth Kingdom. Safe until Aang doesn't have to hide...whenever that is."

"So you've been keeping him safe this whole time," Katara thought about it. Zuko nodded.

"I already didn't like my dad and had some concerns about the way he had run things. I smuggled Aang on the ship, and Appa - the bison - followed behind us safely. I managed to convince the crew to let me off near the Air Temples and 'check in' with one of our colonies in the Earth Kingdom. Aang and I flew to his home and there was no denying it, I'm almost sure we had some something to do with it. Their deaths, that is," Zuko's face grew long and tired, "It's the least I can do. I want what Aang wants: World Peace. Aang wants to go and fight the entire world. Well, not fight. He's a pacifist. I want to do it through politics. We'll see." He let out a long breath.

"Wow." That was really all Katara could manage.

She looked at Zuko and saw his face pinch slightly. She realized, in this moment, how momentous this all really was. If she had any doubts about Zuko being purposely obtuse with her, she told herself she could recall this moment. Aang would have never told her without knowing Zuko trusted her. Her, a girl from the Southern Water Tribe that had done nothing more than be his friend. Maybe there were merits she didn't see that he did, a reason he trusted her so implicitly. He was, in a sense, handing over everything. If Katara wanted, she could go right to Ozai. She could tell him she knew where the Avatar was. Aang would be killed or imprisoned and Zuko would face a severe punishment, but it could boost her own status. Another girl might. To Katara, that was unimaginable. There wasn't a question in her mind about if she was going to keep this safe. But as much as Zuko wanted to trust her, she knew that he too was settling in the thought she could ruin him.

"It's safe with me. I'll take it to my grave." She crossed her heart. As she spoke, she also considered that her oath might ring true. She was now in this plan. She could be held liable too. She could likely walk away right now and lie her way to safety, if something were to implode, but she couldn't imagine doing that either. She recalled what her father once had told her: 'There are matters far more important than any singular person's life.' There hadn't been an occasion at home when she'd felt that. This, she felt. This, she knew, was in line with what he was speaking of.

"I thought," Zuko said. "If you ever have any more questions, just ask. I want transparency between us about this. We need that."

"I agree," Katara nodded. This was a matter where they couldn't afford to have old knowledge or misinformation between the three, perhaps four, of them. On that thought-

"We're telling Toph."

"What?" Zuko looked like she'd just told him she was actually a polar bear-dog in a human costume.

Katara explained the ball's events and Toph's insistence on getting to the truth. Zuko listened, looking half-amused and half-tired.

"Well, I guess we have to now," he admitted with mild aggravation, "I'll plan a date for her soon and we'll get it squared away. Better it sooner before she finds something out."

Katara nodded, resting her chin on her knees.

"We can probably still warm up, but-"

Usually, Katara would have never turned down an opportunity to train. But now, after everything…

"I just think maybe we should go to town. A lot has happened here. Plus, I'm starved." As she spoke her stomach growled, "We'll get another chance, right?" she added.

"Of course," Zuko said, nodding enthusiastically. "You'll be the first date on the next rotation. We'll come here," he assured.

As they walked back into the changing area Katara asked, "So, you'll be...cutting girls soon?"

"My parents are encouraging it," Zuko said, which didn't answer or deny her inquiry, "I suppose. I just want to be totally sure."

"Really, there's no one you think should be sent home…?" Nadhari's face came into view in Katara's mind.

"Not immediately. Everyone has qualities that redeem them." Zuko rubbed his head. Katara failed to see what Nadhari's quality was, other than being pretty. Maybe that was it, however she didn't think Zuko was so shallow. "You have someone." He recognized her look.

"Well…"

"I think I know who you're going to stay. But, I'm not convinced."

Katara didn't voice her opinion. Either Nadhari would stay or not. She doubted he was going to send Yue, Suki, or Alcina home, all good choices, so she supposed if Nadhari was around a round longer, what was the damage, truly? Other than the girls and herself having to deal with a desperately annoying person.

"Was the emergency meeting fine? Is it all okay?" Katara asked once they had donned their regular clothes again.

"Oh, yeah." Zuko's voice didn't match his face. When Katara still looked at him questioningly, he sighed, "The Equalists are just causing noise. It's nothing dangerous but there's lots of tips our way, lots of sightings. If I were them, I wouldn't let the Palace forget me. I'd keep them on their toes all the time until they've exhausted themselves."

"That's what you think they're doing?"

"If I had to guess." Zuko led her through the palace, taking side halls, "Then again, they're not reasonable people. So, might just be moot."

"But it was resolved, I'd imagine. Or you'd be held up all day."

Zuko looked like he was weighing on what to tell her.

"I chose not to do anything," he said slowly, knitting his eyebrows. "I figured if they were trying to tire or stretch us out, we shouldn't play into it. We'll keep our ears to the ground and to any place that had a disturbance, I just sent one lieutenant. If there is a problem, backup can always come. But, as much as my father might dislike it, expressing discontent with the way things are in a rally isn't illegal, not if me or my Uncle can help it."

Katara nodded, digesting this.

"Did I do the right thing?" he asked after a moment.

"What?"

"In your opinion. Should I have squashed it? Sent armies out to nip it in the bud before something awful happens?"

"If something awful happens," Katara corrected. She paused, "I don't think I'd be a good judge. The biggest problem with people being unhappy was when my father made the deal with you guys like twelve years ago. Other than that, we all know each other, and my dad's really approachable." She licked her lips. "Besides, isn't Iroh some great war general?"

"Iroh insisted I make this choice. And I suppose, but you have a good head. And I trust you." He looked back at the arena, "Obviously. I'm not saying I'd change it all because of you, but I'm curious."

Katara thought a lot about it. All the way to the entrance of the palace, in fact. She didn't want to give him an answer without considering it, even if she had no way to change what had happened.

"I think it was the best choice under a circumstance. They've targeted here. If I were you, I'd be wondering if they were trying to draw you away, especially now. In the days your family is sparse, it's imperative to keep the guards close. There's no great answer. Things might happen but in comparison to what might happen in the other hand, it's the most reasonable choice," Katara decided.

"There's never a perfect choice," he grumbled, "Thanks."

"Welcome to adulthood, that's what my mother would say," Katara said in an attempt to cheer him up. It seemed it did the trick, for he smiled. She was glad, and maybe, a little too glad. But, she told herself, that would be a conversation for herself another day. Nothing was going to ruin their trip to town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said I had to split this chapter up? So know that next chapter will have a lot of Zutara again :) It will be their trip into town!
> 
> So, although we don't have any more people that have reached the drabble on here, I have posted the first one for lucel18! It's on my art/story tumbr or on Wattpad/A03 named 'Karios'. I'm posting them as a collection of drabbles instead of a singular one per story, since that would be a lot to post. If you want to get a drabble, go to my profile to find the rules or check out the first chapter on those places I listed!
> 
> And, we do have some A03 ppl that get a drabble! Jacpin2002 and ZoeysZone, if you want one, go read the first chapter of Karios to see the rules, then shoot me a message! Some of you are so close on here too, just another chapter review or two away :) 
> 
> Hope you all have a great weekend! Enjoy :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeey all you beautiful people! Who's ready for an update!

The Fire Nation Capital was wholly unlike anything Katara could have dreamt of. Zuko had escorted her to the second tier of the city.

"The first tier is full of people who are faker than my sister's attempts to not terrorize the contestants. The bottom tier is where I usually take my food, when I go out. Lots of poor people there. Admittedly, no one's going to attack a dude in a mask with two swords, but there are some people who would attack us."

"I could take them," Katara crossed her arms.

"Sure, but let's just not," Zuko argued, "I think you'll enjoy this tier better anyhow."

He opened the door of the palanquin, motioning for her to step outside. The two guards who had accompanied him stepped forward, but Zuko shooed them away.

"Prince Zuko," one began, but he laughed.

"This is Princess Katara, not the others," he said. That seemed to have an effect on the men shadowing them, because they dutifully stood back by the door.

"I take it I have a reputation," she said dryly, "Feared?"

"Respected," he corrected. "And they know that we could take care of any ne'er-do-well that is stupid enough to try to rob us," he scoffed. "This is much better, isn't it?"

Katara did feel more relaxed. If there were guards following, she'd have to pretend to be in love with him all night. "Yeah."

The first road Zuko lead her on was more full of life than she could have ever imagined. In just the space between the houses and the cobblestones, there were more people bustling around than there were in her entire village! Lanterns hung over the roadway and there were thousands of stalls lining the path. Above her head, strings of linens were flapping in the wind, and the cacophony was far noisier than she thought was possible.

She spun around in a circle three times, trying to soak it all in - every detail, from the lady dragging three crates of fish to a stand, to the children throwing paper dragons above her, to the smell of fruit and possibly something rotting.

It was only when she caught Zuko's small smile that she recognized that she must look like a child with her wide-open eyes and lips parted in awe.

"It's overwhelming," she admitted after a moment. At Zuko's concerned face, she rushed to add, "In the best way!"

She saw most people brush past each other roughly and without pretense, but as she and Zuko began down, the crowd parted for them. She supposed they weren't inconspicuous.

"What do you think?" Zuko's voice was soft. She turned, unsure about why he looked at her so softly asking that, "Your opinion matters," He re-iterated from their previous conversation.

"What, and you'd rebuild it if I didn't?" She teased, but then saw Zuko's face a little, "I like it, Zuko. I do. It's really different than my tribe. My tribe is cozy, but you're all pressed together here, but there's so much diversity! Everyone has pretty much the same opinions at home. Sometimes I can't stand it. And here, everywhere you turn is something different, something new. I'd imagine it would be like that everyday. I could see myself enjoying myself in town here, a lot. It's really nice."

"Good. I mean, you will be here a lot." Zuko said, "If that is, you plan on staying that long." He added. Katara nodded a little, thinking to herself. She had the momentary thought that one girl would end up living here. It wouldn't be her, but she hoped whoever it was enjoyed the town as much as she did. While she knew that a town couldn't be perfect, and she knew this one was far from it, overall it was good. And someone like Zuko who seemed to care genuinely about it...well, she really did want someone to win that would care about it too. That would see the value in helping it, and not just focusing on their gilded life in the palace.

A part of her almost wanted to stay here. But, only for a moment. It was a long moment, though.

She shook her head, dismissing her conflicting thoughts. She took a step, then paused. She took a step a different direction, then paused again. She laughed, realizing she had no idea where she was going. Zuko began leading her down the path, but she did see that he was watching her, for a sign of when to stop.

"Where to?" she asked.

"Wherever you want. You've never seen any of this. I've been here a lot," he said.

"Oh, Princess Katara!" One of the vendors nearly had a heart attack, stumbling out from behind his stand to come in front of her. "For you." He bowed so low his nose nearly touched the ground. In his palms was a single brilliantly colored flower, the hues of a sunset.

"Ah," Katara looked behind her. Zuko gave her a nudging motion and so she gratefully took the flower, rolling it in her fingers. "It's truly stunning." The man grinned widely.

"How much?" Zuko asked.

"For the Prince and the Princess?" The man gave a firm shake of his head, "Nothing! I won't take a single piece."

"What is this flower, Zu-Prince Zuko?" She recalled they were in public.

"A Fire Lily." Zuko took it from her hands, "Let me." He stepped in front of her, using a finger to brush her hair back from her face to put it right behind her ear. "There." His voice was quiet.

"Smooth, Zuko," Katara whispered back, rolling her eyes.

Behind them, the flower merchant looked as though he could die of happiness. As the fan favorite, seeing them do 'couple-things' must be exciting, Katara decided.

"You'll take this, and you won't complain," Zuko said, placing a gold coin on his weathered bench, "Please."

"I ...this is far too much...a single flower merely costs two coppers." The man tried to give it back.

"To her, though, it's at least a gold," he said, "Many prosperous days, sir."

"To you, and you too," The man bent three or four times, "What an honor to meet both of you."

As they continued, Katara chuckled.

"You do have the city's love," she said, noticing the way everyone bowed and smiled at them as they passed.

"My father would loathe to hear that. He only has the city's fear, which is the only reaction he finds useful." He snorted, "As you can see, I am going to be different than he was."

"The world needs a leader like you," Katara agreed. Zuko paused her, touching her arm gently.

"Ever tried Fire Nation candy?" he asked. Katara shook her head. She rarely had candy in the Water Tribe. There weren't many sweet things around. She told Zuko as much. As he held open a door for her to a small store, he laughed.

"I wouldn't call Fire Nation candy sweet…"

Still, the aromas wafting from all the tins around her was nothing like she'd had at home. She stood stationary, so many options and so little thoughts on where to start.

"What's your favorite?" she managed to ask, starting to walk along the colorful bins.

"I'm partial to-" As he was speaking, the manager came from behind the back and dropped the tray she'd been carting.

"Oh! Let me," Katara rushed forward.

"P...princess?" The woman shook her head, "No, no! I can do it. You shouldn't have to lift a finger."

"I want to," Katara insisted, helping her pick through the shards of glass and deposit it into a trash bin. She blushed widely the entire time. Even Zuko held open the bag for them.

"As I was saying," Zuko continued once all there was to do was sweep, "I personally like these." He handed her a small jelly-like item, covered in a sugary dust. He turned to the shopkeeper, "Can we try them, or do we have to buy them first?" he asked, already fishing out a pouch.

"Fire Lord Heir Apparent Zuko and Princess Katara can try anything they please!" she insisted enthusiastically.

"Why don't you bring out some of the best sellers, so Princess Katara can try the whole of it all?" Zuko suggested. The woman's eyes brightened and she set about picking items off shelves and setting it at the front counter.

Katara bit into the item Zuko had given her.

"Ugh! It's like eating just plain old fat from animals. And no flavor," she said, finding it a little too squishy for her tastes.

"Hey now. It tastes like sugar."

"Faintly," she said, shaking her head.

"Well, I'm not going to let it go to waste," Zuko mumbled, taking the rest from her and popping it in his mouth, "Ma'am? When you have a moment, I'll take a bin of those to take home," he said. The woman nodded.

"Maybe Princess Katara would prefer more traditional sweets?" she asked, motioning to the array of items set out as she began to bag Zuko's odd candy.

The first thing Katara picked up looked like a piece of bark with speckles in it. "Chocolate, isn't it? I've heard some of the girls squeal about this." She recognized it from Saya's obsession.

"A kind," Zuko agreed. Katara took a tiny bite from the corner and made a humming noise in the back of her throat.

"It's spicy."

"You know my feelings toward spice," Zuko made a face, "However, of late, I've heard that girls have been melting it with milk and drinking it for a late-night delicacy. I'm not sure, but…" He shrugged, rubbing his neck.

"What's this one?" Katara picked up the second item, a little spiky yellow and red ball about the size of a pea.

"Snapdragons," he said, "Pop it in."

Katara did, expecting spice, but got something different instead. As soon as her tongue dissolved it, it crackled in her mouth like embers and left a smoky satisfying taste afterwards. She made a small squeak of surprise, covering her lips. Zuko burst out laughing and even the shopkeeper hid a smile behind her hand.

"You know what? Those are pretty good…" Katara reached for a couple more.

So, she tried every single of the favorites that were set out, about twelve or so. The snapdragons were her favorite, although apart from Zuko's, it was hard to dislike any of them.

"If that's so, we'll take them all," Zuko said, "Five portions of each."

The woman grinned, and Katara couldn't imagine anyone else who came in was ordering ridiculous numbers of sugary goods. She was going to make a fortune today.

"Zuko, you don't need to buy me things," she whispered softly.

"I want to," Zuko replied. He waited until the shopkeeper had gone in the back to grab some bags. He stepped closer to her, just in case, "Even if I'm not trying to woo you right now, as your friend, I want to. It makes you so happy, and I like seeing that. I'm having fun, aren't you?"

"I mean, yes, but that's hardly the point. What am I going to do with all that candy?" She asked, realizing Zuko was going to buy this for her despite her protests.

"Be a pig, eat it all yourself - ow!" He held up his hands, "Joking! Realistically, you could share it with your friends, or send some home."

Katara stepped back. "Sokka would love this. And the children…" Her grin widened imagining the village children attacking the large parcel of foreign candy. Before the shopkeeper had returned, Katara had determined one portion would be for her, one for friends, and three would be sent home.

"I thought you'd like that," Zuko said as they stepped back into the alley, "A lot of girls worry about how they look, like they can't be happy or childlike anymore. I hate that. I'm glad to see you're not like that. Anyway, for me, there's something that just makes me happy about being in a candy store. My mother took us here when we were young."

"How cute." Katara looked back, imaging little Zuko and Azula taking over a village candy store.

"You may see Azula how she is now, and she was always scary, but there were moments she was normal. She has a sweet tooth. Being in there makes me feel closer to the sister I recall, even if she's been gone awhile." His face darkened.

"Hey," Katara stood in front of him, "Maybe once you become Fire Lord and there's not the possibility anymore, things will be different?"

"We both know that's not likely, but thanks" Zuko whispered. He shook his head, "Ah, spirits. On your day out, we shouldn't be talking about that!"

They continued down the winding road. "There's just so much food here. So much variety," Katara commented, wanting to stop at every single venue and try all the tantalizing fresh veggies, sweet fruits, and steamed dumplings.

"Oh, this is nothing," Zuko insisted, "The Fire Nation is arid and dry. Other than tropical fruits and fish, we don't produce a lot of food. If you went to an Earth Kingdom city, you wouldn't believe how many different types of food is there! It's unbelievable. We have it shipped directly to the palace, but in the city it would be very expensive to get really great vegetables," he said.

"More than this?" Katara sounded dubious.

"Much more," Zuko nodded, "One day, you'll see it."

"You sound so sure."

"If you're going to be here until the end, then yes. It's common for the last five or so to visit other parts of the world. If you'd like to go to Earth Kingdom, then you'll go there," he said. "Most chose parts of Fire Nation." He waved a hand. "It's a big deal, because we go away for a weekend."

Katara raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

"Well, with others! Like, guards. I mean, at that point the prince and the contestants could be getting up to no good, but-"

"Not you?" she guessed. Zuko shrugged.

"I find it hard to imagine that now." He looked into the sky, "We have a place to be." Katara nodded.

"Let's go, then?" she urged. She couldn't wait to see the next place.

Zuko had arranged for them to have dinner at a nice sushi place. Their table was in the front of the house with white linens and flowers all over. Katara almost laughed at the display. The flowers were beautiful, however, like the one in her hair. Zuko told her that soon a band would play. It was one of his favorite locations. To Katara's surprise, not a moment after they entered, someone had already set the first place in front of them and was pouring thick red wine into goblets.

"I set a menu up for us. You do like fish, right?"

"It's one of the main sources of protein for us," Katara nodded, "Although, I think your versions will be different."

She used her chopsticks to pick up the delicately rolled sushi and dipped it into the sauce she'd been given. She ate it in a single bite and marveled at the array of tastes upon her tongue.

"Pretty bland back home?" Zuko asked, half-teasing. Katara was sure he'd tried some form of their food, even just a taste, and to be honest it all sort of tasted the same; food at home wasn't about making it look or taste pretty, it was about staying alive.

"Yeah. I mean, there's only so many ways you can fry a fish without spice and just salt," she said, "This is divine."

"You know," Zuko said, tilting his head, "We could discuss trade routes so your tribe could take advantage of spices. Among other things."

"I mean, maybe," Katara winced, "We've been wary of the Fire Nation for a long time. While I'd love to say yes, I'm not the one making the choices."

"Who would, theoretically?"

The band had set up and began playing, something sultry and smooth and smoky. It was so different from the tribal chants her own tribe practiced, or the eerie flute and drum duets some of her tribe's people did for fun. She'd never much liked 'music', but this was something she could listen to all night. She realized she'd forgotten Zuko's question, pre-occupied with the band.

"Oh, right, trading." She snapped a finger. "My dad. I guess. He's the chief. But it would be hard to discuss it over messenger hawk. These matters are delicate and no way would my dad leave the South for more than a week."

"Could he send a representative?" Zuko asked.

"Maybe. Not sure who, though." She laughed, "If things were different, it may have been me, in another life. A representative. Guess I can't quite do that as a possible Fire Lady."

"The council would likely not allow it," Zuko sounded genuinely sad.

"Can't imagine your dad would like it," Katara continued, "It was nice hypothetical, you know."

Zuko ate one of his own rolls and paused before answering, "Yeah. Imagining it."

"Can we not talk about that, politics?" Katara gave a heavy sigh. "Usually, I'm up for it. But I just want to forget about a lot right now," she admitted. Her own fears here, Aang the Avatar, her family's concerns about her extended stay, Ozai, Azula, the Equalistis...she was willing to delve into that any other night, but something about the ambiance in here made it all seem to sour.

"I'm sorry, yes." Zuko blushed red.

"Hey," Katara scooted her chair forward, "No harm. It's what we both do all the time. And I'm sure you're a politician even on other dates. So, tonight, let's just be us. Katara and Zuko."

"Katara and Zuko," Zuko echoed, relaxing into his chair, "I'd love that."

Katara didn't move back to her seat across from him, but rather, closer. It, firstly, gave her a much better view of the band. Secondly, she could speak quietly about matters without having yell across the table or worry that something she said would allow someone else to know their gig was up. About, being lovers or dating, that is.

The waiters smoothly took on this change, even going as far to just put both of their rolls on one platter and set it between them.

They talked about anything that wasn't politics, Katara felt. But, deep down, to know a person, there were more topics to broach. And a part of her wanted to know that deep down part of Zuko. They took turn asking story-questions, such as 'worst injury' or 'best birthday gift'. Katara was laughing so hard at one of Zuko's stories that she snorted her wine and began coughing wildly.

Zuko put his hands on her arms. "Katara, don't die. Do not die." His voice was so serious that it just sent her into another fit of laughing and she rested her head on his chest, trying to regain her breath. Looking at her face would just make it worse, especially because she could hear the rumbles of Zuko's chuckling through his clothes.

"You ass," she managed to choke out. "That really hurt," she said, rising back up. He handed her a napkin to dab her runny nose.

"People usually get a good chuckle but I've never had anyone nearly keel over from that story," he said, preening with pride.

"Oh, lovely. I've just stroked your ego." She rolled her eyes. Zuko's hands were still on her shoulder, and somewhere, her own had rested on his strong arms to steady herself. She could feel how muscular he was, under the cloth. She swallowed, removing her hands, although it almost hurt to do so. Zuko did too, but they remained near each other.

It seemed much too soon that the band was packing up and the owner was informing them that the restaurant was closing soon. Katara looked around, seeing few patrons left and the sliver of moonlight from the window.

"Great dragons, that long?" Zuko went red in the face. "I meant to have you back much sooner."

"I had such a good time I didn't even realize," Katara agreed, "but I am really tired."

Outside, the air had chilled. Katara felt goosebumps rise on her exposed arms.

"Cold?" Zuko asked.

"It's ridiculous. I live on a floating piece of ice. I shouldn't be cold," Katara said, rubbing her arms.

"You've been here awhile, though," he pointed out. "It would be in poor form if I let a Princess freeze." He unlocked his cloak and set it on her. The fabric pooled around her, far too long, and she felt like a little girl wearing her mother's battle costume. She almost protested until she realized how comfortable it is.

"Ugh, thanks," she mumbled.

"Don't sound so happy," Zuko said.

"I'm just upset. I used to be able to go out in negative weather with just one layer and gut a seal before ever feeling a nip of a chill."

"Sounds, uh, fun."

"Point is, being cold sucks," she said. Zuko made an 'ehh' noise.

"I mean, to be honest, I just wear that for show. Fire benders regulate their own body heat. See?" He pressed a hand to Katara's cheek and she almost rolled into the warmth of his palm.

"The south would love you," she said, "You could get so much done!"

The palanquin had arrived. Their discussion halted for the night, as now they had an audience again. Zuko walked her to the ladies' quarters, shoving the copious bags of candy into her fingers.

"Goodnight, Katara. I really had a good time."

"I did too. Uh, see you later?" She wasn't sure how to end this night. Zuko hesitated before nodding, turning around.

Katara, completely exhausted, stumbled to her room and flopped onto the bed. She was asleep, in everything she'd been wearing, instantly.

When she woke up, she was overheated. It wasn't until she saw the rich burgundy fabric wrapped around her like a cocoon that she recalled why.

Zuko's coat. It even smelled like him: burning embers, sandalwood, and a hint of green tea. She was horrified she even knew the combination of those scents to be him.

She wondered what to do with it. Hand it back to a guard? That would cause chatter. Keeping it would cause even more. She threw it over the back of her chair, gnawing at her fingernails before deciding that Aiga would discreetly handle it, and she he left a note for her handmaid.

She donned clothes and brushed out her hair, going to join the ladies for breakfast. There seemed to be a buzz of commotion around the breakfast area. On Ji gave her a thumbs up, Mai was scowling, and Saoise was giggling with Kilee.

"You had a good date last night," Yue said, not as a question, but a certainty.

"Uhhh...sure?"

"Anaselma saw you returning to your room wearing his cloak!" Kilee burst out.

"Fuck," Katara swore under her breath, "I mean, it wasn't anything, really. It was just a little cold last night and-"

"Katara, it's fine." Yue patted her hand. "It's a lot. I mean, he is a gentleman, but it's something else to give you his cloak."

"He didn't give it to me. I forgot to give it back," Katara argued.

"Sure," Saya drew out the word from nearby, "If you don't want it-"

"No! I mean, we'll see if Prince Zuko want's it back." Katara said. Saya waved a dismissive hand.

"He has hundreds, I'd guess."

"Okay, so I was wearing his coat. Why are you still smirking at me like that, guys? It's not like that's a marriage proposal."

"So you haven't seen the news," Suki got up, a piece of slightly crumpled paper in her fingers, "I'd say it's all over the city now."

On the front page was a delicate drawing, one Katara recognized, or at least, the forms. It was her and Zuko in the sushi restaurant, close, his head and hers nearly touching, his fingers on her forearm, another on her shoulder.

"One of the lead artists for the journal was there," Jin was saying, "Sitting just in the perfect spot to draw you. I guess you were like this for some time. And, one could say he was just making it up, but the drawing shows exactly what you two were wearing last night and if he wasn't there-"

"Yeah, it would be hard to make up," Katara agreed. A lump caught in her throat for reasons unknown.

"I love it!" Ty Lee squealed, "I know we're competing against each other, but oh, you two just look so in love, you know?"

Katara opened her mouth to argue until her eyes trailed down to the picture again. What felt like an arrow to the chest was that this was a place they weren't even pretending, they were just being themselves.

"Yes," Katara found her voice, but it was shaky with a startling revelation, "We do, we really do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Pulls out megahorn and puts on tour guide cap*: And if you look to the left, readers, this is the point Katara realizes she might be in deep trouble
> 
> Anyway, hope ya enjoyed the second part of their date and their quest into town :)
> 
> So, some notes.
> 
> 1) BluDynamite has reached a drabble redemption, so if you are interested, just go to the drabble story Karios and read the first chapter for instructions!. I have the first one posted, but tbh I probably won't get to the rest of them until next week because finals are hella horrible
> 
> 2) I need OCs! Sorta...so, I've reached my point in writing ahead where I need general palace ppl and since finals have fried my brain, I'm far too tired to think of them myself XD So, I need other handmaids and some guardsmen to refer to here and there. For the both of them, include a description, names, and a fact or two about them. For the handmaids...if you have an idea of whose handmaid they'd be, write it down, or list the top three cuz I'll put them in as I need em.
> 
> 3) Saw Infinity War on Thurs. Just thought I'd let you know because holy f it's on my mind. To describe to you guys how it is, without giving away any spoilers, you know that gif set from Brooklyn 99 where Jake just plays a guitar and screams? Yep that 'bout sums it up. Despite that, I did like it in the sense of the storytelling and what it's setting up, but I won't say anymore less you ask me personally because I want to let those that are going to see it see it.
> 
> 4) For the food, I sort of imagine Zuko's fav candy to be sort of like those weird Japanese rain cake vids all over the internet that basically just taste like water or whatevery you add on it. The Snapdragons I think would be like a huge (well, size of like a skittle) pop rock.
> 
> Just to hype you all up, I was looking through the upcoming ten or so chapters I've written and ALL of them have at least, if not multiple, Zutara scenes. And like, for every single one I was going 'oh that's a good chapter' or 'wow they're going to eat this one up' or stuff like that. So, really good stuff coming your way!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is a little late. Not TOTALLY late, but sorta, but that's just because both your lovely author and lovely beta are SMACK DAB in the middle of finals, and if any of y'all are in college/went to college I'm sure you know how soul-sucking finals week can be XD
> 
> But it's here now, and the plot just gets juicier ;)

The rest of the day seemed out to get Katara, frankly. As she was shoveling sweet rice into her mouth in an effort to hightail it back to her room, Wei entered and announced that the suites would be undergoing a semi-annual cleaning and they wouldn't be allowed back until later that evening. He also informed the ladies tomorrow would be an extremely special and important day, but he was tight-lipped on details.

Thus, every girl turned to Katara to see if she knew anything if Zuko had passed along some information. If Katara couldn't go back to her room to freely and solitarily contemplate the events, she didn't want to have to think about Zuko. And yet, she was forced to say at least three or four times, 'no, I have no idea what it is'.

"She's probably just tired," Andica whispered in Ishwa's ear, "She was back really, really late."

And, in part, Katara was. She'd perhaps only gotten five hours of sleep, which was far more than she got at home, but far less than she was used to here. She was minorly upset she was becoming so acclimated to life in the Fire Nation, as she'd told Zuko yesterday.

And now that she was awake, she also had to consider everything else that happened yesterday. Namely, that airbenders still existed, and that not only was one in the palace, he was also the avatar and sitting right under their noses. It changed everything. There was now, however, a pit of anxiety curling in her stomach. One more person to worry about, to fear frantically for. Aang was the most vulnerable person here. There was no mistaking that he was in enemy waters.

She didn't realize how hard she was thinking until Yue placed a gentle touch on her knee.

"Are you okay?"

"Hmm?"

"You're bouncing like a rabbit on bad mushrooms," Saoirse twittered, "And your expression is like someone going to war." She laughed nervously. In reality, Katara had been considering going to war. How it could change if she had the Avatar on her side, helping to free her people and the other groups. Maybe Zuko would be with them, she'd been wondering.

"Was the date not good?" Eva frowned.

"Oh...no. that was really good." She didn't even have to pretend. Pushing aside it did look like they were romantically involved, she still had a great amount of fun. That reminded her, "If I could get into my room, I have candy for all of you."

"You don't have to share it with us," Yue said.

"I'd be fat if I didn't. Zuko nearly bought out the entire inventory," she snorted.

"Well, would anyone really know," Kilee offered carefully, "if we just snuck in there?" It was the first time Katara had heard her suggest anything against the 'rules'. She wasn't surprised it was for candy.

"Kilee, it's just sweets. You'll last a day," Yue's disapproving voice quieted her. Besides, Katara wouldn't be able to stay in her room, which is what she wanted to do.

She realized her eyes had glazed over again.

"I just have a lot of other problems on my mind," she offered but went no further.

"Is your tribe okay?" Saoirse jumped to the next logical conclusion. Katara pursed her lips.

"For now. It's never been okay there," she admitted. From what she knew of these girls, none were gung-ho for the way of life in their own tribe, so she felt safe with this truth.

"I can't even imagine what you're going through," Eva said, "Maybe Yue can."

"It is hard being from home," Yue agreed, "when we hold such responsibilities on our shoulders." Even if Yue wasn't as active in politics as Katara was, Katara still knew she oversaw other things, such as child birthing and regulations for education. She didn't say it out loud, but if Yue was going to be Fire Lady here she'd have to give that up. Perhaps, she'd pass it along to someone else, have time to teach them. Katara knew she'd be going back and that made her even antsier. In a sense, any problems that arose she'd theoretically have to fix whenever this ended.

"No wonder Zuko likes you two, you already know what being the Fire Lady would be like." Saoirse peered at her nails with a hint of jealousy.

"I'm sure it's a far cry," Yue almost laughed, "The Fire Nation capital is five times our entire tribe."

"And that's why we have classes," Katara jumped in, "And Zuko did mention to me yesterday that as the girls get sent home, the remaining girls get more responsibilities."

The three perked up. Yue even looked interested. Katara hadn't meant to bring up the date, but she had, and now they wanted to hear everything. Katara humored them by going through her date, very much in detail. Or, at least starting with going into town, not the sparring arena. She tried not to inject emotions into it, but rather vivid factual detail, like how the town smelled or the crinkled fingers of the man that gave her the fire lily.

The girls seemed rapt with attention, and Kilee would give a long, wanting sigh on occasion. The story itself, with their questions, took up a good part of the morning. After that, the other girls took it as a sign to share their dates with the prince, as though to pool their knowledge in a great vat of it all. Most of what they shared, Katara already knew about Zuko, but she didn't mention it. Instead, she pretended to be surprised when Eva said something Katara knew from their letters.

But this only took up the morning. By the time dinner was served, Katara was bored and beyond antsy. There did seem to be a wave of relief when Zhi announced after dinner that they'd be free to return to their rooms. Katara tried to sip her drop soup as politely as possible, but also as fast as possible. She was only listening with one ear as Zhi gave the news about tomorrow.

"To mark our three-month anniversary of the start of the Choice, tomorrow there will be a group interview, and you will each sit for a short painting session with the Prince, to be distributed to the public. As for what you shall wear, each will wear the garment you brought that represents your culture, as we strive to make this inclusive and showcase our world. It will begin tomorrow at mid-day, on the dot!"

As soon as Zhi finished talking, it seemed all the girls were rushing to finish eating and run back to their rooms, although for very different reasons than Katara. Mostly, to pick their outfit and prepare their hair. Katara would wear her hair in the beads and wear her mother's wedding dress. It would feel strange to be standing next to Zuko wearing a wedding dress, but it was the most culturally beautiful dress she had. Plus, it wasn't her wedding dress.

"Do you want to come to my room and we can put curlers in our hair?" Eva asked kindly. Yue saw the hesitation in Katara's eyes.

"She's exhausted, let her sleep. She'll need that more than bouncy hair," she gave Katara a smile, "Right?"

"Next time, for sure," Katara agreed.

"Of course! Get lots of sleep," Eva nodded, "See you tomorrow."

Once back in her room, Katara slumped to the carpeted floor, back hitting the door.

"We looked to be in love…" She whispered to herself. Could it possibly-?

"No, Katara!" she said out loud, firmly, "Just because you 'look' in love doesn't mean you are."

Frankly, they were just being good friends. If they had been caught kissing, that would have been another story, but there were all perfectly good explanations. Of course, what none of the girls knew was that the moment preceding their heads being so close, Zuko inhaled a spice so quickly that water came out his nose, and he was so embarrassed, and Katara was trying not to burst out laughing on the ground, while also using her waterbending to save his gasping. This happened not moments before Katara almost choked herself and Zuko got a good bout of revenge laughter in. It wasn't anything different than what Sokka, her brother, would have done, so she and Zuko could not be in love. Or, she wasn't in love with him. She'd never asked him how he felt about it, having her as just a friend, but overall, she knew he enjoyed her company.

He might be in love with her, but that was something to shove into the box and drop in the deep oceans of her mind.

"Let them think what they want," Katara decided, standing up and wondering why this plagued her so much, "It's not true." She felt like saying it out loud would make it closer to reality. She felt much better, much freer.

She moved to go to bed since honestly, she was pretty tired. She closed her eyes and was just about to fall asleep when-

"THE FUCKING AVATAR?"

Katara nearly fell onto the floor. She yanked the blankets up to cover her half-nude body until she realized that it was just Toph. As Toph's words reached her mind, Katara jumped down, grabbing her shoulders.

"Think you could be a little louder?" she asked angrily, sarcastically, "My tribe didn't quite hear that."

Toph looked embarrassed for the first time ever, slapping a hand over her mouth, "I didn't...so loud…" She mumbled behind her palm. Katara squinted, as this was the first time Toph seemed serious about something other than earthbending.

"How do you know?"

"Zuko took me on a 'date' today. Introduced me to Twinkle Toes and...geeze," Toph muttered, shaking a bit. Katara almost said something but ignored it. Toph must have sensed it, though, because she scowled, "I don't faint, at least!"

"Oh, come on. It's overwhelming," Katara defended herself, "You know that."

Toph gave a brisk nod.

"Never in a million guesses would I have said airbender or avatar," she said, her voice now a quiet and subdued whisper.

"So you understand if anyone untrustworthy finds out, he dies," Katara said. Toph crossed her arms.

"I'm not stupid, you know. I get it. This is adulty shit. Real tough stuff."

"Okay, okay! I mean, you know because I vouched for you, so," Katara said hotly, disliking Toph's tone.

"The avatar," Toph plopped down on Katara's chair, still shaking her head, "I just keep thinking it's being all made up, a hoax."

"No joke," Katara agreed, sitting on the floor next to her, head resting on the back of the chair, "And now, we're faced with what? We're in this - me, you, Aang, and Zuko. Where do we go from here?"

"If it's storming the palace and overthrowing some idiots, I'm all for it." Toph cracked her knuckles.

"Aang's not really ready." Katara drew her legs up. "And what about Zuko? If we just wait a little longer, he'll be Fire Lord. And then, maybe he can bring Aang out."

"I would like to think that, but the world ain't getting magically better in one day. The Fire Nation has been fucking stuff up for hundred years," Toph argued, "Maybe Aang needs to go out and punch some faces in."

"Aang's a pacifist. It's the Air Nomad way. War isn't the answer."

"Fine," Toph said, "I'll punch people on behalf of him. Maybe that's it. Maybe we need to go off and stir things up instead of waiting for Zuko to become Fire Lord and build pretty peaceful bridges where all the Nations hold hands and braid each other's hair, which is a totally realistic outcome." Katara decided to ignore Toph's heavy sarcasm.

"We?"

"If you wanted to come, but I meant me and Aang," Toph said.

"I thought you wanted to stay here?" Katara frowned.

"I want to stay away from a betrothal as long as possible. The day the games started was the day I turned sixteen. This was all very carefully planned, mostly by my parents, but also by me. I mean, I figured I wouldn't get picked, but I could ignore the elephant-bear in the room. Spirits know I'll be given to some hoity-toity uppity Earth Kingdom Lord the second I return home…" She rubbed her hands. "But, if I left under the protection of the Avatar-"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Aang would have to agree," Katara paused her.

"Just wishful thinking," Toph sighed, "Makes me have a little hope, ya know? That things can change. They already have, just today."

There was silence between them. Not uncomfortable, but rather, pensive; a way that Katara never thought Toph would be, but sometimes things bigger than a single person cause one to really contemplate about themselves.

"I think we should keep it open," Katara said after considering it all in her head, a thousand different scenarios.

"Keep what?"

"Your willingness to leave. If something does happen and Aang is discovered, he'll need to leave immediately. Zuko may need to stay here and try to fix things. We wouldn't want him to give up his position to quickly before we know it's lost. And I might need to remain too since my tribes are next most in danger. But you? It's nice to know he has an ally to go on the run with if we have to."

"Yep," Toph nodded, "I have pretty much nothing tying me down here."

"Good, I guess," Katara laughed, "Best case scenario, nothing happens, Zuko takes over, Aang comes out and world peace."

"Yeah, best scenario if you like boring things." Toph must have been able to sense the hard glare Katara gave her because she added, "Kidding. Geeze, have a sense of humor, will ya? I clearly want that too."

Katara wasn't so sure.

"I think I might go back to sleep now," Katara said, realizing how exhausted she was as a wave crashed over her.

"True, big things coming up," Toph snorted, "Apparently."

And the event was a big thing, though not for the reasons most girls thought so. To Katara, it was scary how fast time had just...vanished. Three months here already. It seemed unimaginable, especially as compared to her original promise of a mere five days. Seems she'd underestimated exactly how gripping this palace would be.

At the same time, she couldn't see herself going home any time soon. She had been honest when she told Zuko she'd be fine with being the second to last person around.

Things had changed, as things often do, she told herself. It was no reason to worry.

She instructed Aiga on how to do her hair up in an array of beads. It was a hairstyle that was vaguely reminiscent of a warrior's style back home. She did not touch her grandmother's engagement necklace, no matter how much she was tempted. If this drawing ever got back to her parents she wanted to make it abundantly clear that this was not an engagement photo, despite the wedding dress. She would subvert all parts of her culture to emphasize this.

"You look gorgeous!" Ty Lee gushed as she exited to fall into line. Ty Lee's gowns were silky and covered in jangling metal. Her midriff was exposed and she looked more foreign and sensual than anything else.

"I could never pull off a look like that," Katara said honestly. Ty Lee patted her shoulder.

"Perhaps, but you look much more regal," she comforted. Katara vaguely wondered whether Ty Lee was really here for the prince. As it sounded, she'd always just been friends with Zuko, while Mai had the crush on him. Was she just here to support her friend? Just for fun? Katara wasn't totally sure.

They were taken back to the ballroom because it was a space wide enough to allow the girls to mingle and eat while they were waiting. It also had a pillowy space where Zuko was already situated, while an artist set up an easel with a pot of black ink.

"This is going to take hours," Toph moaned, "I don't even care what I look like in my portrait. Not like I'm gunna see it anyway…"

"I don't think it's for our benefit," Suki gave her a smile of likewise resignation, "But it would be cool to have, even if you didn't win."

"Can't see. Don't care." Toph sniffed the air, "Oh, chocolate."

Katara followed her to the buffet table. She nagged a couple grapes in her hand, munching happily.

"I'm going to die of heat," Eva found Katara. She was dressed in ornate, but very heavy, animal furs and weaving. "This is awful."

"You feel fuzzy though," Toph said, reaching out and running a finger up and down her arm, "Like a bear." She paused. "Is that what this is? Neato."

"I'd much rather have feathers, like Katara," Eva harrumphed, "And Yue brought one of her spring ceremonials, so she's perfectly comfortable." Across the way, Yue did look at ease in her short-sleeved springy-teal dress.

"What number are you?" Katara asked. As they were waiting in line, Zhi had gone down and handed each girl a slip with a number. As she explained, each girl would sit for fifteen minutes while an artist sketched out a rough draft. Then, he'd hand it off to a secondary artist, who would pull the girls aside to capture details like their dress or makeup. Since the Prince was wearing the same thing for every portrait, he would be easy to fill in. They were to be waiting in line near the prince two before, but otherwise, they were free to mingle and eat. They'd be interviewed sometime before or after, to celebrate a season of the Choice occurring.

"Eight," Eva replied, "Guess I can't complain. Any further down the line, I'd worry I may sweat through this! And that would unseemly, as Yue would say. You?"

"Twenty-two," Katara gave a long sigh.

"Princess got the short end of the stick," Toph said, who was number ten. Suki was eighteen. Katara just wanted to get it done. Something about seeing Zuko was making her nervous, spirits knows why.

"Ah, sucks," Eva frowned, "I'd trade, but…"

"No, it's fine. You look really uncomfortable now. Here." Katara reached behind her and gave her a glass of water.

"Toph, you also look really fidgety," Eva observed.

"These darn clothes...frustrating…" Toph mumbled. She was the most dolled-up Katara had ever seen her, bogged down by layers upon layers of delicately etched floral patterns in summer greens and light pinks.

"It's really nice looking," Suki said, who looked the most comfortable in one of the Kyoshi's performance outfits.

"It's not nice feeling," Toph said, "I can hardly breathe! I just want to take a knife to all of these knots! I mean, what kind of person ties eighteen knots for a blind girl to untie! Freaking stupid people that's-"

"Uh," Someone tapped Toph's shoulder. She spun and came face to face with a very confused looking journalist. "Miss Bei Fong?" he stuttered out, "I have to...can I...it is you, right?"

For a second, Toph looked like she wanted to answer somewhat inappropriate and sarcastically. Then, Katara saw a devilish gleam enter her eye as she smiled at him.

"Of course it's me. Whose else?" she said, laughing behind her hand, acting as the 'Toph' everyone had met the first day. Sweet, timid, feminine, and the picture of a high-class lady. The journalist looked completely unsure now. In the end, he shook his head, asking if she minded moving somewhere a little less noisy.

"Anything you say, sir," Toph said, "I'm sure you know the perfect places…"

As she walked away, Eva couldn't help but snort up some of her water. Then Suki burst out laughing, followed by Katara.

"The look on that guy's face! Oh, Toph got him. He's going to be thinking through that all night," Eva said.

"She knows how to make the most of a situation, that's for sure," Suki agreed, rubbing her eyes, "I almost feel sorry for him."

"Almost," Katara agreed with a smirk.

She finished eating and wandered around, popping into different groups of people. She couldn't say she was popular at home or had a lot of friends, but here it seemed every group she wandered to had at least one person welcoming her with a smile. She'd never felt so included before.

It passed the time, at least.

"Princess Katara, may I borrow you for your interview?"

Ru, Zuko's friend and confidant, was standing near her and looking much more at ease than the person who had been assigned Toph. They probably thought she was to be an easy interview, bless their souls. That man probably was regretting that now; Toph would be up there with the worst people to interview like Nadhari or Mai, but for very different reasons.

"Sure. Shall we go to the tables?" Katara asked. At this point, she accepted the interviews as an inevitability.

He had a glass of water waiting for her, and she did admit that he seemed to know exactly how to do this. He was good at his job, which likely landed him at the Royal Palace, of all places.

"Did you always want to be a journalist?" Katara found herself asking.

"I think I'm supposed to be asking the questions, Princess Katara," he said but was not offended or upset.

"I know. I was just thinking that having a job here at the Palace must be really good," she said, tapping her fingers.

"In many ways, of course. My family was over the moon at my promotion. It was mostly the Prince's recommendation of me. He said he wouldn't be interviewed during the Choice by anyone else."

"I guess it's best to have a friend interviewing you during high-stress times like this. We don't have journals at home - news is standard, and everyone knows it by nightfall - but I've heard some unsavory things from other girls about your kind. I guess Prince Zuko must take comfort, or hope, that you wouldn't twist his words."

"What makes you think we're friends?" he jumped a little. Maybe it wasn't common knowledge. Katara almost brought up what she'd overheard, but then shrugged.

"I'm just observant," she said honestly.

"I wouldn't want someone to think I'm only here because I am his friend. In response, yes, I've always wanted to be a journalist, searching for bigger truths."

"So, this vapid competition must bore you," Katara laughed. He looked uneasy, "Really, I'm not trying to trip you up. Not a trick question. I can recognize the parade this is, even if I'm part of it."

"It's not what I'd like to write about, no," Ru admitted cautiously. "But I hope if I do it well enough, I'll be allowed to stay on as the official news messenger of the palace."

"I think you're the best one here," Katara said. Ru blushed a bit, then looked down.

"Not that this hasn't been enlightening to see this side of you, Princess, but we've conversed far longer about myself than we should have. Perhaps I could continue interviewing you?"

"Sure, sorry about that," she said. The questions were fairly predictable, as were Katara's answers. She could sense that Ru recognized a ruse when he saw one, but they had had a moment before and he didn't push her for her real thoughts. She hoped to have maybe made another ally, honestly.

"It has been a pleasure to talk to you Princess, but a greater one to get to know you," he said meaningfully, "Until the next one."

"So sure I'll be around?" Katara tilted her head. He laughed.

"Oh, I'm 100% sure."

At this point, number twenty was going to sit, so Katara made her way to the chairs that the girls waiting sat on. The two in front of her were Ratana, and most, unfortunately, Nadhari. Nadhari narrowed her eyes at Katara when she sat on the chair she'd just moved over from, huffing and turning around.

"Hello to you too," Katara rolled her eyes.

Ratana wasn't the most talkative of people either, so Katara sat twiddling her thumbs and watching the prince for lack of better things to do. Or, so she told herself. She found her eyes focusing on things she hadn't before: his silky hair, his wide hands, his gleaming teeth. She took notice of the way his palms rested on the shoulders of whichever girl he was sitting with, how close he sat on the cushions near her, how it looked like he could be in a portrait with a queen out of any of them.

Katara's stomach shifted, and it was a much different feeling than when she'd been sick.

Ratana went up, and then it seemed that Nadhari was going up in the blink of an eye. Dhakiya had taken the next seat and Katara was glad for a friend. She wanted a reason not to be staring at Zuko, but despite Dahkiya's engaging conversation, she couldn't help but let her eyes wander to where Nadhari was settling herself to get in position.

She noticed how Nadhari's fingers traced down his chest, how the other was on his shoulder and she practically leaned into him. He whispered something in her ear, smiling, and she laughed like it was the most hilarious thing in the world. Couldn't Zuko see how fake she was? Did she have to be rubbing herself all over him? Didn't she have some class?

Katara's stomach lurched even harder, watching the way her eyes closed and she looked so comfortable next to him, and him to her. She let out a long, angry sigh as Nadhari practically purred like a cat in his embrace and Zuko just allowed it. She thought maybe he should push her off, insist for a stronger boundary.

She had a flash of them, on a date, and him maybe kissing her. Maybe they were always this touchy-feely with each other. Maybe it was something Zuko hadn't told her about. Katara felt cold all over, an inexplicably chattering chill.

She realized she'd completely neglected her conversation with Dhakiya. However, the dark-haired girl looked thoughtful when she turned around, staring at Katara contently.

"You're up," Dhakiya said as Katara opened her mouth to ask what she was thinking.

Katara turned and stood. As Nadhari got up, she whispered something in Zuko's ear that made him blush. He responded with a low chuckle and Nadhari looked pleased.

Zuko smiled at Katara like he often did, but today it just made Katara feel strange.

"What did Nadhari say to get you so red?" she asked, her voice teasing, but her heart wasn't in it like other days. To say, her heart as a friend wasn't in it. She wasn't sure where her heart was, to be honest, other than nearly jumping from her chest.

"Indecent things," he responded, "I just played along. I don't think she means it." Whatever 'it' was, Katara wished she could impress upon him Nadhari probably had meant it completely.

As she sat next to him, Zuko pulled her close, so they were nearly in each other's embrace like a couple's photo should look. Katara had been plenty close to him before, but today, when his fingers brushed over her shoulder she jumped.

"You're twitchy," Zuko said. His voice was low and throaty as he tried to keep his voice at a whisper and it tickled her ear. This did not help things.

"Lots of tea." She tried to get comfortable, but her rapidly reddening face and sweaty palms were not going to allow it. What the heck was going on with her today?

As she had just found a position, an attendant hurried up.

"Prince Zuko," he hissed.

"Yes?" Zuko sighed, but did not move.

"There has been...a development…"

Instantly, Zuko's face changed. In another moment, Katara may have joked that she was like a beacon for attendants to interrupt things, but Zuko's mood had gone from lighthearted to stony.

He started to stand but the artist squawked angrily and demanded, "Talk to him there! But don't have him move!"

"Tell me," Zuko said, "But be quick and quiet about it. I'll be in when this is all done." The attendant looked at Katara uncertainty.

"Oh for spirit's sake…" Katara muttered.

"She's fine. She's a warrior and a leader too. Tell me."

"The Equalists, sir," The man leaned down, kneeling next to Zuko. Katara noticed how Zuko's grip on Katara's shoulder evaporated, his hand just slinking off at the very name. Her weird worries - or whatever was going on - vanished as she pulled her eyebrows together.

"What?" Zuko asked, but his voice quivered.

"We got word a faction...they...decimated a town."

"Define that," Zuko asked, but Katara dreaded it. The man looked ill.

"Ransacked houses. Killed people. Burned the town to the ground," he spoke very carefully. Katara bit her lip hard, imagining the horror, "It was a small, seemingly insignificant town in Abbey, Earth Kingdom. They were particularly thorough at the temples, apparently torturing the priest for hours. They also took and killed a young boy brutally. They were searching for something."

"Abbey? That's near-" Zuko broke off, his face shifting into indescribable agony and fury all at once, "Someone…" he said, though Katara did not understand the significance. He took a moment, his eyes utterly sad and helpless, before he bottled it up and inhaled.

"I will be with the council soon. Thank you for letting me know," Zuko said, a clear dismissal.

"We are meeting tomorrow morning. Nothing will be settled tonight," the attendant said. "It's concerning, but they're far from here, at least."

Katara saw this did not soothe Zuko.

"Are you okay?"

"You realize that this information is sensitive, and cannot leave you." Zuko sounded strangely robotic, detached from Katara.

"Of course," she murmured.

"All done!" The painter made a 'shoo' motion. Katara stood, obscuring Zuko's from the painter's view, and he seemed to recognize what she was doing. He looked down, allowing for a moment the pain and confusion over this senseless act to seep from every pore of his being, to seem very un-princely. Katara's hands rubbed over his shoulders. For a second, as his neck and arms shuddered, it seemed like he may start crying. Katara could see his jaw clench hard and he took in a deep breath - but did not let it out - and looked up. A mask, thick and unemotional, had settled over his face. She could see the emotions being shoved back under the surface, bubbling and tearing at the edges, from the way his eyes narrowed to the twitch of his lips.

"You should move on," Zuko said softly, straightening his back, "I have to continue."

"Zuko, stop it," she whispered, "Don't be like that around me!"

"Katara, you're holding up the line."

There was something much deeper to this, something Katara couldn't figure out. She knew that she wasn't going to let this go, but she stepped aside for Dhakiya to sit. Zuko put on a fake smile, but it was too bright, too cheery. To everyone but Katara, he looked perfectly happy. Katara hovered.

"Oh, Dhakiya, before I forget, I'd like you to stay after the session for our date," he said. Dhakiya giggled, nodding happily. Katara heard the artist make a noise and moved away, to where a younger artist was waiting to fill in all the beading. Katara was now feeling sick to her stomach for many reasons, one she could not decipher, and another for the pain she shared now too, knowing what Zuko did about these Equalists.

"This will take hours," the artist moaned, flexing her fingers in preparation as her eyes roamed over the multitude of beads, feathers, and embroidery, "Well, get settled in Princess…"

And, in fact, the detail painting carried up to about the end of the session. Which, to Katara, was the best-case scenario, as otherwise, she didn't know how she'd deal with this right now. As it was, the artist had to remind her to stay still at least four times, always with a very tired sigh. Katara felt her gaze trying to always turn toward Zuko, but to the entire world, he seemed fine. And, if he was anything like Katara, that was the biggest indicator that he was not fine, not fine at all.

Realistically, she knew that here, in public, nothing could be done. But some part of her wanted to pull him aside, demand to know why he was so upset and then assure him that whatever it was, she could help him. She'd do whatever he needed her to do.

Zuko left too quickly for normality, with Dhakiya in tow. A few girls, like Andica, pouted at his quick departure, but most were seemingly okay with it. Katara felt her feet lead her to the door he left through, but ultimately was pulled back to the group by Zhi's stern call her way.

Back in the room, most of the girls wondered casually about what Dhakiya's date would be, but were none too troubled by it. Many went off to do their nightly activities or to go to sleep early. Katara spun around to take her leave too, but she felt a hand grab her. To her great surprise, it was Kilee.

"Katara, are you okay? Don't lie, you've been jumpy for days now," she said. Katara swallowed thickly. When Kilee was starting to make sense and sound adult, she knew she was not only being noticeably affected but that it was something she needed to fix. "I'm not sure I believe what you told us yesterday…"

Yes, you're right. So, here's the low-down: Airbenders are still around. Kuzon, who's really Aang, is actually one, and - wait right there - he's also the avatar. If that wasn't enough, my heart was doing strange things when I was around Zuko, and since I'm not here to fall in love with him this obviously needs to be murdered before it's started, and oops, speaking of murder, nearly forgot that a group of crazy equalists just burned down a whole freaking village and who knows what they're after but they're not afraid to do anything to get it. So yes, I've been a little on-edge.

"They're things I can't tell you," Katara opted, hoping this would get Kilee off her case.

"Yue?" Kilee offered, "I can grab her...in case it's...princess things…"

"They're things that aren't mine to tell."

Kilee paused for a moment, scrutinizing her carefully. "If it was a danger to us, you'd tell us, right? Or, if it was something with Zuko?"

Katara smiled, trying to look genuine. "Yes, of course. They're Sokka's things, not mine," she straight up lied. But, she wasn't sure that anything was a direct danger to them yet. From what it sounded like, the Equalists were half a world away, and it would take at least a month to travel back.

"I hope he's okay, then," Kilee's shoulders relaxed, "Just, don't worry too hard?"

Katara nodded, "Yes. Sure."

Katara went back to her room and did the only thing she could think of: she began writing to Sokka. She wrote a couple copies of the letter in which she averted all problematic topics and pretend like life was hunky-dory. She wrote a copy in which things were loosely alluded to, but weren't obvious. She wrote a version in which things were not so loosely alluded to, wondering if Sokka wouldn't get it the first time. She wrote a frank version in which all the secrets she shouldn't tell him were on the page and then immediately burned that one. Still feeling uneasy and unsettled, she took out a new piece of parchment.

I have secrets I can't tell you, but at the same time it's killing me that they're just inside of me, with no way to resolve them. Sokka, I wish you were here. I wish I could talk this through with you. I feel like you'd have ideas. I feel like-

A sob from the hallway interrupted her writing. She leaped up, swinging her door open to see Dhakiya standing at the entrance, sobbing into her hands.

"Oh, Dhak! Are you ok?" Suki reached her first, patting her shoulder, "What's wrong?"

"I...I'm...I'm being sent home!" Dahkiya wailed, body quivering. She looked dangerously close to collapsing, so Katara jumped forward to support her friend.

"Where's Alcina?" Suki called to the crowded group of curious girls. Smellerbee scurried off to find Dhak's twin.

"What happened? I didn't think you two weren't getting along?" Katara was extremely perplexed. Zuko had hinted about who may be getting the ax next, and none of them were Dhakiya, Katara was positive about this. She just couldn't comprehend it.

"I...ca...can't." Dhakiya shook her head. It seemed to be all she could say. Alcina appeared, hair half-wet and a robe being wrapped hastily around her waist. She took over for Katara and Suki, guiding her sister to her own room.

"Scram, you nasty gossipers," Alcina snapped to some of the girls who just followed them, waiting for more information. She roughly slammed the door in their faces, leaving them all in the hallway, silent.

And then, everyone was talking at once. The affair eventually moved to the ladies' room, where Katara could hardly hear her own thoughts. The noise brought nearly everyone from their rooms to join the conversation.

In general, it seemed most were equally confused. Fidelia, who was the last person to be sent home, had been unexpected but understandable. Dhakiya was extremely likable, albeit quiet. Yet, Katara was starting to see a blooming personality of snappy one-liners and a deep interest in art history. She was coming out of her shell to be a very likely choice. Last Katara had heard, on the weekly town polls, she'd jumped up five spaces.

"There are quieter and more immature people here," Ratana said, looking pointedly at Eva and Kilee, "But maybe this is just the start…"

"It is about time for someone else to go. But Dhak? I just don't get it." Jin shook her head, "I know I should be happy since that's one less person, but she's just so nice."

"And the Prince was smiling and looking at ease during the portrait, even laughing with her," Smellerbee added, who was next in line, "Literally no indication he disliked her."

"Maybe it was sudden?" June pointed out, "Fidelia would still be in had she not tripped Katara. Or, theoretically, she wouldn't have been sent home then, although we all thought-"

"Yeah, do you think that Dhakiya broke the rules?" Anaselma spoke over June. This sent everyone into a tizzy, since it was the only plausible reason, and to be honest the only one Katara could see too.

It just wasn't in Dhakiya's nature, however, so none of the violations that were offered up were anywhere convincing.

"You think she's a lot darker than we know? Like maybe she's murdered someone! That would be grounds for leaving, innit? Can't have a murder as the Fire Lady…" Andica began to wildly spin a theory, but trailed off as she noticed everyone had gotten silent and turned to the doorway. Alcina stood, fists clenched and expression heavy.

"My sister did not break the rules," she said firmly, "So don't any of you sully her name with that bullshit." She spoke through gritted teeth, shoulders shaking in fury at their accusations.

"Well, then why?" Cillia prompted, "You have to admit, it's really fishy."

"Why Dhakiya left is none of your concern." Alcina's expression was pulled tight. "Just know that it was the best option for her."

"So you're not mad at Prince Zuko?" Ratana narrowed her eyes. "Or, are you pleased?"

"I love my sister!" Alcina stormed up to her, "I love her more than anything and if she had become Fire Lady I'd be nothing but thrilled! But I know why she was let go and I agree with his choice, as does Dhakiya."

"Didn't seem like it," Ratana snorted, "Blubbering all over the halls like a child."

"She's crying about something else. But, as I said, it's not really anything you all should concern yourself with. It's not my information to tell."

Her words were so familiar to Katara's earlier this morning. It had to be connected, Dhakiya's departure had to be related to something she'd learned, although she wasn't sure what.

Alcina spun around, out of the room. As soon as she was gone, the whispers picked back up again, most ignoring Alcina and spinning ever wilder tales about Dhakiya. Katara's mood was soured, and she didn't want to be around girls who would drag Dhakiya's name through the mud. She noted that On Ji and Jin also left, as well as Yue.

In the halls, Dhakiya's door was void of her name tag. Alcina's own door was open and Katara saw her sobbing on her bed. Without thinking, Katara stepped inside and just hugged her.

"I don't need you to tell me that Dhakiya is a good person. I believe it," Katara said with a long sigh, "If it makes a difference. I'm sorry."

"I'm worried for her, I'm so worried," Alcina said shakily, but then wouldn't say anything more.

Once Alcina seemed more settled, and Suki came by offering to stay with her that night, Katara left to go to her own room. She unsuccessfully tried doing a number of things, such as finishing a letter to Sokka, waterbending, and even attempting just to go to sleep. Nothing eased her.

It was late by the time she threw off her covers and stalked into the yard. Nothing had ever been accomplished by Katara sitting around, and that would certainly be true of tonight. Not when her friend needed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I def want to hear your theories about what you think is going on ;)
> 
> I'm still taking OCs for handmaids or guards! If you want to write one, keep 'em coming! You probably won't see them 'soon' but I just sorta need a vat to pick from when I start narrowing down the palace life, ya know?
> 
> I posted another drabble, which is one for our awesome beta! She wanted a collegeAu!Zutara, so I feel a ton of you will like that. It's on a03, wattpad, and tumblr! If your'e waiting t get a drabble written, now that I'm nearly done with school, those will be coming shortly.
> 
> And, you know, with that I'm giving back to those that review in fanfiction, but I also wanted to honor other authors too. So, I'm posting a daily fic recommendation on my tumblr, so check that out if you want some really good fics!
> 
> Hope you like this. chapter :)


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was def very interesting to hear what your theories were about Dhak's leaving, though, a lot of you thought it was because of a boyfriend back home. Have you all forgotten it's not allowed to be dating others during the competition? If you have, now I've reminded you. If not, do you then think Alcina's a liar because Al is very firm that her sister did not break any rules. Anyway, this 'secret' will be revealed soon, I'm not gunna hold it above the story for like chapters and chapters worth.

While there hadn't been trees in the South available for Katara to climb, that didn't mean she wasn't as nimble as a monkey. They had just climbed...nontraditional things, like polar-bear dogs or the abandoned Fire Nation ships. Plus, she was in shape, so hoisting herself onto the awning above the garden was no problem. She'd seen Zuko come through this way, so there had to be a passage back into the main part of the palace via this direction.

Keeping low, she crawled on the roofs of the palace, trying to trace the steps she would be taking below, if she were inside. It was slow going, in fear of being shot off the roof by guards or slipping via her own clumsiness. She wondered how Zuko looked so effortless doing this and made a mental note to ask him later.

When she reached a wall, her fingers began rubbing along the stones. She wasn't sure what compelled her to do this, except for some deep-seated instinct. She was beginning to think she was crazy and that this whole idea was crazy, when one of the stones moved under her. Gently, she was able to ease it from its place, and then three or four more stones came out, leaving a hole. It was tiny, but squeezable, especially for someone as gangly as Zuko. For Katara, it would be even easier.

She poked her head down to see a dimly lit storage area of some sort, a room that was maybe off of the royal kitchens, as it was filled with bags of rice and potatoes and crates of veggies. There was a cabinet just below her, the smooth wood scuffed from footsteps she knew had to be from Zuko.

She wedged herself through the hole and then reached up to re-arrange the stones above her head. Then, she hopped onto the ground, creeping toward the door.

Although it was likely nearing two AM, there were still people bustling around. Mostly the workers, since dignitaries and guests were asleep, but Katara still needed to be careful. Navigating a place she didn't know well and avoiding people the whole time was possibly one of the most testing things she'd ever done. At some moments, she wondered if she should just head back, but she recalled the agony in Zuko's eyes upon hearing what the Equalists had done and this propelled her forward.

She was better than she'd expected at darting behind plants or walls and steadying her breathing. It was like hunting, but reversed. She still employed a lot of hunting techniques though, and thanked her lucky spirits that Sokka had been such a stickler about all those boring hunting and stalking techniques.

She was guessing that the Palace was structured like a larger village. Her and her family's huts were the center of the village, both to be at the center of tribe life and to be the most protected in an attack. The further in she got, the more elaborate the paintings on the walls became. She also recalled Zuko taking her down this way, and she thought the sparring arena might be close to his bedroom.

Eventually, she saw two grand double doors not dissimilar to the ones to the ladies' rooms, but even more ornate than any other doors she'd seen in the palace. Plus, two guards were posted at the entrance wearing the Royal Family's insignia, so she figured this is where the private quarters were.

But how to get in?

She heard voices down the hall and ducked under a tablecloth. Peeking out, she saw a pair of maids coming by with blankets, pillowcases, and bowls. She watched as they went up to the two guards. The doors were opened and one of the guards left with the senior maid to go into the quarters. Katara watched with glee as the younger maid stuck around...and began flirting with the second guard. The second guard, seemingly all too pleased, hastily closed the door behind him, but it was left ajar. And with the doors being as huge as they were, ajar meant a space just wide enough for Katara to slip through.

She wasn't going to wait for a better chance.

She crawled along the edges of the walls, keeping her eyes planted on the giggling young Fire Nation workers, who were completely in their own world. Of course, at 2 AM, what problems would either of them really have to be dealing with?

As she slid into the other side, she saw the face of the second maid. She completely froze, and apparently, the abrupt halt made the eyes of the maid slide past the guard to her.

Aiga's eyes widened in disbelief before Katara shook her head and put a finger to her lip.

"What?" The male guard turned but Aiga grabbed his arm.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just I remembered I have laundry I need to hang up tonight."

"Oh, I thought we'd get a chance to talk more." The first guard sounded young too, and he was extremely disappointed.

"Well, I can stay a while longer," Aiga said, tilting her head. Her eyes flashed to Katara and gave her a look that said, 'go, but I expect to hear exactly what this is later.' Katara nodded gratefully and ducked through the opening.

The long hall in front of her had more doors than there were family members, but Katara felt as though she would have little problem finding Zuko's room...especially since it looked like smoke was coming from under one of the doors, and the maid she'd seen go in to the Royal Family's halls seemed unfazed. Katara hid once more under a tapestry, glad for the cover of night, since in daylight her lumpiness under the carpet would be all too noticeable, and waited for her to pass.

Then, it seemed there was nothing to stop her.

When she opened the door to Zuko's suite, she was immediately greeted with a thick cloud of smoke. She could hear things sizzling and burning, something breaking, and a string of cuss-words. She coughed, and everything stopped.

"Agni, Lee, I told you to leave me alone! You can clean it in the morning!" Zuko roared. Katara flinched at the power in his tone. She'd never seen him so worked up, so upset.

She delved deeper into the suite to see a chair splintered on the ground, pieces of it completely obliterated or smoking embers. A thick, black ash covered the ground like snow.

"It's me…" she said, now hesitant about being here. Not that she thought Zuko may hurt her, but that maybe he just needed to be alone.

Zuko's figure entered from the smoke.

"Katara?" His face contorted, "What do you think you're doing here?"

"Seeing if you're okay! Clearly, you're not!" Katara said, losing her fears. He was only wearing a vest, no shirt, and a pair of casual pants. If it were another time, she may be trying to banish the thought that he was really attractive right now, but there were other more important things.

"You shouldn't be here."

"Yes, I'm probably breaking fifty rules to see you, but Zuko, that says something," she said, following him deeper into his room. They entered his bedroom, which was much less smoky. Zuko walked over to a window and opened it, clearing out some of the smoke.

"I'm handling it."

"Oh, clearly," Katara snorted, kicking a blackened end of something his way.

"I never asked for your opinion on dealing with things, if I recall." Zuko's voice was cruel.

"Too bad. You're getting it," Katara said, "And you're not going to shut me out! I heard the same thing you did today and then you just...just...pretended like it's not upsetting you, but obviously, it is!"

"What was I supposed to do, Katara? Break down right there? Throw a fit?"

"I don't know, show a little bit of emotion. I was letting you. I was there for you and you shoved me away," she said.

"If I had let it out then, it wouldn't have stopped," he said stiffly. He still moved away from her. His anger was still there, burning under his eyes, but it seemed he was making an effort not to do anything in front of her.

"But I still don't understand this reaction," Katara waved a hand around her, "All of it. It's awful what happened but-"

"It was my fault, Katara! Agni, can't you see that?" Zuko cut her off, kicking the wall. A small part of the wallpaper flickered with flames.

"…What?" Katara blinked, uncomprehending. Zuko didn't answer. He stood with his back to her. She approached him, and when she touched his shoulder, she saw he was shaking. He turned, wiping his hand on the back of his eyes.

"It's all my fault," he repeated, more broken, "I thought it was a bluff. I decided not to apprehend them or send more troops. I made the choice to ignore it and look what they did."

"Oh...when you…" Katara frowned, recalling the other time he'd been interrupted when he was with her. "Zuko, you couldn't have known! All the information you had said that the decision you made, at the time, was the best choice. I doubt even your Uncle would have handled it differently."

"But I'm supposed to be better than that! My Uncle wouldn't have done the same, I just can feel it. Soon, I'll be expected to make these big choices all the time, and I fucked this one up! I messed up, Katara. These are my citizens, in a way. But even if they weren't, they were people. Families. And now they're dead," he insisted, "I should have seen it. I choose the wrong thing and the consequences are...indescribable."

"Zuko, you can't beat yourself up. Not to sound unkind, but does your father even care about a little village in the Earth Kingdom?" Katara was worried his father would hurt him or even choose Azula over him from the way he was talking. Her worry calmed him, or at least caused him to pause. When he turned to her, though, it was surprise in his eyes. He looked at her for a hard second, then knit his forehead.

"It's so much bigger. You don't see it?" Zuko realized. He didn't sound angry, more so just disappointed. He sighed, shoulders slouching, and turned around.

"Don't realize...oh, no. You're going to tell me what this is about." Katara crossed her arms, seeing how Zuko was starting to put up his walls again. "I have to be let in. This isn't something you can't get out of alone."

"I think you should go back to your room, Katara," Zuko said, sounding exhausted.

"Nuh-uh. At least tell me why you sent Dhakiya home. I thought you liked her?" Katara pressed.

"I did." Zuko's voice was emotionless, "That's the kicker."

"Well then what in the world could have prompted it?" Katara threw her hands up. "How could you go from-" Katara felt something spark in her mind, "-they're connected. The news and Dhakiya. They're connected. It can't be her family, since otherwise, Alcina would have gone too. It's not a boyfriend, since Alcina was so firm that she wasn't cheating, and I believe her, so it's something else. It is connected, isn't it?" she said excitedly, seeing Zuko's face turn ashen.

"Katara, these are secrets that could get you killed."

"So is Aang! We passed the point a long time ago, Zuko. What were they searching for?"

"They...the Equalists...were looking for someone...or a group of someones," Zuko started cautiously.

"Did they find it? I'd guess no because they burned the city, unless they were hiding it."

"Yes and no," Zuko hung his head, "I wish I'd made the connection sooner."

"And Dhakiya?" Katara hoped maybe by switching between the two, she could get enough out of him so that she could stitch together a complete picture. Zuko looked entirely torn before he finally began.

"Dhakiya's-"

The doorknob turned. Zuko's eyes widened and Katara's heart stopped. Zuko lead her to his cabinet and hastily shoved her in.

"Go back to your room. You can't be caught here," he said breathlessly.

"How?"

"You think I go through the front doors dressed like a spirit with two swords?" His voice was scathing, but almost amused. "Go, Katara," he said, shutting her into the darkness.

Katara, confused, took two steps back, expecting to find a sturdy background. Instead, her legs went through a hole.

She almost laughed.

It was one of the secret tunnels he must have been telling her about. It led her to a network of tunnels, including one that led to the floor of the kitchen storage area.

"Clever bastard," she muttered, easing up the stone and pulling herself into the area, very much wishing she'd noticed this on her way in.

Going back was much faster. She found herself back in her bed just as the sun was starting to color the morning sky. She realized she knew pretty much the same amount of information as she'd left. If anything, she was more confused. But, these were threads to pick at tomorrow. Right now, she was tired.

That night, Katara dreamed.

Now, Katara rarely dreamed. And if she did, she didn't recall them. This night, there were a few that stuck out, and they were all particular in nature.

Her tribe may not have running water or houses made from steel, but they were better than their sister tribe when it came to many social things. Around the time that the phantom war began was when the South began cleaving themselves from their strictly traditional sister tribe. One of the biggest issues was women's rights and their role in society. By this time, Katara could have inherited her tribe had she been older than Sokka. She also was not only allowed but fully expected to do anything her male tribes' members did and vice versa. Katara could hunt just as well as Sokka, just as Sokka knew exactly how to mend a pair of ripped pants (however, that didn't mean Sokka enjoyed doing it).

Another topic they'd evolved past? Judging women based on their sexual experiences. The idea that if Katara had sex with someone she'd someone be 'soiled' was laughable - no one thought like that anymore in her tribe. While her parents warned against doing too much too young, as soon as she turned 16 - the age of marriage, if a pair wanted to - her mother asked her if she'd be needing their special tea anytime soon. Katara declined, but her mother made her promise that she'd go to the medical hut if it was ever needed, and that was all that needed to be said. Katara could have walked in, asked for the tea, and no one would have blinked an eye. She maybe would have gotten some unwanted sexual advice from the women, but no judgment.

Katara hadn't gone 'far' with guys, mostly because she wasn't interested in any of them sexually. They were all sort of like brothers to her. She had hoped maybe one would catch her eye since she did someday want a family and you sort of needed a guy to do that, but at the time of her leaving, none had. She wasn't inexperienced, however, in other ways. For her, it was a matter of simple biology, and it seemed foolish to let it linger and fester when she could just take care of it; with or without a partner. It was all just a part of life, like having to pass water or needing to eat.

Having children was natural. The road to conceiving a child was also natural too, and she'd heard the whispers and laughter among the other tribeswomen enough to know that it was also pleasurable. It wasn't just for having children, which she was semi-relived to learn.

Around the age of 12 or 13, when she'd begun her periods and became much more aware of her place as a woman in the tribe, as well as the possibility she could become pregnant, albeit unlikely, she'd begun having wet dreams. The older she got, the more intense and realistic they felt, as well as the acts being done within them.

On occasion, Katara welcomed these dreams, because once again...biology. Usually, they did include some young male from her community, but she'd never taken it as a sign of having a crush on them. More so, she figured her mind plucked a face from her memories to act as the other party, and it had no bearings on her life. While she always knew if her brother or one of the boys in her tribe had experienced a dream, because they wouldn't look particular girls in the eye for a day or two, Katara could wake up and see the boy from her dream at breakfast without so much as being embarrassed.

She hadn't had one of those dreams in months, despite recalling them much more often than any other dream, so it was unexpected when one appeared. If she were to guess, they usually happened when she was experiencing stress in her waking life, as though her body was giving her a natural relaxant. She often did feel relaxed, upon waking.

So, when she woke in the morning, eyes heavy and body drenched in sweat, with lingers of the dream just starting to work their way into her consciousnesses, she was far from displeased. She flopped back on her pillow, wondering how the dream had worked, now that she was around so many new male faces - and female faces. She'd had one once with a friend of hers, so she wasn't discounting pleasure that a female partner could bring, too.

She closed her eyes, basking in it as she allowed herself to think back to the dream.

She was outside, but she was laying on silk. She could feel the way it tickled her back. Her hair was completely down, no beads at all, because her partner was weaving his fingers through her hair. The other hand of the person was gripping her thigh. She was sure it was a man from the view she had, of his stark and muscular back over the hills of his shoulders, bathed in the moonlight as he moved against her. His lips were biting down the length of her neck, and everything about this person was warm. Katara's own hands were gripping his shoulders.

In the bedroom, Katara felt warmth begin to pool, and she bit her lip as a hand began to slide under the covers. This dream was making her hot in ways other dreams hadn't before, so perhaps she could get herself off again, start the day off right?

Just as she was getting somewhere, eyes closed as she went through the dream, dream-Katara threw her head back to look up at a face with black shaggy hair, two amber eyes, one rough scar-

Katara's eyes snapped open and she completely froze, as though she'd been caught. Her dream partner, giving her the best non-existent sex she'd ever had, was Zuko.

She pulled the covers over her head, letting out a muffled scream into the fabric.

While usually, the identity of her dream partner wouldn't matter, somehow she knew this dream was a sign that everything was changing.

Even just thinking of Zuko now made her two kinds of warm: the warmth that painted her cheeks red as she thought of his smile, and the warmth that made her want to go back to that dream, or have it in real life, as the animalistic side of her suggested.

"Katara?" Aiga tapped on her door. Katara unearthed herself from the covers, groaning.

"Yeah?" She knew, especially after last night, she couldn't send Aiga away. Maybe that was it? Maybe her brain was just trying to make sense of it, and she'd gone to Zuko's bedroom last night, so…?

Deep down, she knew that wasn't it, no matter how much she wanted it to be. She wanted to use logic, use knowledge, not emotions. Emotions got her in trouble. She'd gone by her emotions one too many times to be tricked into that again, no matter the emotion...anger, sadness, love.

Not love, not love. She wasn't in love with this. This dream showed she may be lusting over him but-

"Would you like to explain things?" Aiga had locked the door and was now sitting on the chair next to Katara's bed, face clear. It was the most authoritative tone Katar had ever heard her.

"So, was that your boyfriend? He's a guard, how cute!" Katara tried to side-track her.

"Yes, and he could have been fired if they knew that you were sneaking into the prince's personal quarters and he didn't stop you," Aiga said sharply, telling Katara that she would have to fess up to something, "Look, I know you. You don't seem like the other girls here, so please tell me I didn't make a mistake last night, Katara."

Katara heard the fear in her voice, and she realized that Aiga could be in huge trouble too. Katara gave a long sigh.

She explained, leaving out some specifics, about how upset Zuko had been and that she'd been privy to some war-related information. She described the look in Zuko's eyes and how cold he'd become towards her.

"And we tell each other everything, like, everything," Katara continued, although she was not going to tell Zuko about the dream, "And I mean, it was hard to deal with him not telling me what was going on. And then he sent Dhakiya home for spirits knows why, and I just wanted to be sure he was okay."

"You snuck in...just out of worry?" Aiga blinked. "You risked your position here for that?"

"Uhm...yes?" Hearing it out of Aiga's mouth made Katara realize how crazy it sounded.

"I don't know if I should be upset with you or just laugh," Aiga put her hands on her face, "Agni, Katara!"

"Yeah," Katara agreed tonelessly, "I know now."

"Well, I hope the Prince appreciated it. I don't know why he wouldn't just pick you after that and be done with it." She leaned back.

"Oh, it was nothing."

Aiga sent her a look of disbelief, "Nothing? You must really love him if you did that."

"Care about him," Katara corrected hastily. Because, she did. That was evident. "I don't think it's love."

"Katara," Aiga said kindly, "I have to sneak around to see my boyfriend in the palace, and we could both be fired if anyone knew. It's love."

Fuck. Part of Aiga's argument couldn't be brushed off.

"Anyway," Aiga said brightly, "I mean, the Prince did seem less angry this morning, so maybe it helped? Zhi is allowing the handmaids to bring breakfast in bed to the girls' rooms after yesterday's exhausting day and emotional night. She's saying that Dhakiya was let go because of family matters. Strange Alcina isn't leaving, but…" Aiga shrugged, noting Katara's frown, but Katara was busy thinking. "Shall I bring you yours?" After a moment, Katara realized she was talking about food. Her stomach growled.

"Yeah, sure," Katara nodded, rubbing her face. She was still pretty tired. Maybe she could get away with a couple more hours of sleep.

"I'll be back, then," Aiga said. Katara stumbled out of bed and walked to the restroom. As she was opening the door to return to the hallway, she heard Zuko's voice, since this bathroom was nearest to the entrance.

"Alcina, I was hoping we could talk…"

Just hearing his voice, not even seeing him, sent Katara panicking. She felt her throat constrict and her heart pound. His voice, moaning her name in the dream, returned to her. She felt so jealous toward Alcina at once, and so nervous around him, and so many other emotions she'd heard described to her, but never actually felt...apparently until now.

As soon as Zuko left, Katara ran back to her room, slamming the door.

_Katara, you might be falling in love with Zuko._

Somehow, her conscience always sounded like Sokka when it was telling her things she didn't want to hear. Hearing those words in Sokka's voice made it real and she knew, without a doubt, that that was exactly what was happening.

"How the flippity flip did this even happen?" Katara asked out loud, throwing her hands out. She kicked her chair.

Oh, spirits! To fall in love right now was just so inconvien-

Katara resisted the urge to pound her head against a wall, recalling that she and Zuko had had a conversation about 'true love' and 'inconvenience' not too long ago.

"I'm not in love with him, I'm just falling for him. Not true love," Katara scolded her mind, which was racing at a thousand miles a minute. "No, not in love," she begged, a little weaker.

_So what if you are? Does that change things?_

Yes! She was supposed to go home when this was all over, where her tribe needed her and she needed it! Plus, emotions would muck everything up! What had been great, up until this point, was that their friendship was unemotional, at least where love was concerned. She did have to worry about actually being part of this competition.

Great Tu, was this what the girls felt like all the time here? It was awful!

"It's not real yet. It's just a crush," Katara said to herself out loud, breathing hard, "You can stop it…" The thought echoed. Her position here, as a not-real member, was compromised. It wouldn't stop being compromised. She knew she couldn't just fall out of love with someone, not someone as great as Zuko. He had to be pretty spectacular to fall for in the first place, since Katara really didn't have the time for love, nor was she looking for it.

She would go home. She'd been here long past when she thought. Her parents would rejoice, Sokka could relax...Zuko would be disappointed, but they could still write, and Katara could still offer her advice...from the other side of an ocean. Yes, this was the right call.

"Katara, what are you doing?" Aiaga asked as she returned, seeing Katara's clothes all piled on her bed.

"Uh...looking for a particular dress?" Katara didn't have the heart to tell her. She'd slipped into this competition, she'd slip out. It's what she did best, she realized with a wry laugh.

"Oh. Well, here's your food. And before I forget!" Aiga retrieved a stack of letters from a bag slung over her shoulder, "For you."

The stack was hefty, at least thirty letters. Katara took them, frowning.

"What? No, that's a mistake…" she began, until she realized they were from her village. It seemed like almost every single member had written her.

"What a lovely town you have," Aiga said, "I'll be back later, unless you want help finding your dress?"

"No, I'll find it. I think I realize now it must be off at the wash," she lied. Aiga nodded, leaving her be.

Katara sat on her floor, sinking slowly, counting off the sealed parchments. Yes, close to every single person or family group had written her. She wondered what could possibly be so important, so significant?

After reading the first few, it was clear. Abundantly clear.

They were thank you notes.

She spent the entire morning pouring over each letter, stacking them and organizing them, but the underlying theme and reason behind all of them was the same. The provisions that she'd arrived to secure in the first place were coming in. And, after three months, they were really making a difference.

From Sokka and a lot of the other guys, it was things along the lines of 'I never thought I'd be happy or grateful for anything from the Fire Nation, but this is really something Katara.' The women's letters were much more detailed. Katara's own mother practically wrote a novel about all the changes that had happened.

The food had begun trickling in at the end of her first month. Small things, but wanted nonetheless. But now? Now, the change was beginning to be noticeable. They were getting lots of non-perishables like wheat, flour, rice, and salted, preserved meats. They were getting fruit. Before coming here, the last time Katara had fruit was when she was twelve. Now, people were baking with fruit, they were using fruit as color for fabrics.

Children weren't being taught to hold out until tomorrow's meal. People were starting to look less gaunt, more filled out. Everyone had more energy and spent less time sleeping. Fewer mistakes were being made because people weren't underfed and exhausted. Kya even joked that the medicine hut was beginning to feel lonely without thumbs being sliced off or other preventable mistakes.

And there was more.

Since they didn't need to send out hunting patrols every two hours, people were getting proper sleep. The mood in the village was happier, lighter. People had more free time - fathers were playing with their children outside, adults finally had the ability to do things that weren't necessary to survival, but were more about thriving. In three or four of the letters, beads made from animal bones were attached. The women were weaving and crafting and making art again. Some of the men had made instruments and were teaching the cultural dances again.

In general, things were brightening. Their culture, which had been forgotten in order to survive, was reappearing. There was a discussion of staring the school up again, full time, since now the adults were free to teach. Sokka talked in his letter about how they wanted to make a better effort to rebuild the huts and how he was taking an expedition out to salvage metal from the sunken Fire Nation ship. There were even discussions about moving the village, something they'd wanted to do for a long time but lacked the ability and safety. They used to be nomadic, following the herds and the animals, but of late people had been too tired, too sick. Once again, following the food was a possibility. Or, they were going to build things like their sister tribe, put down roots forever, and try to make something bigger.

And there were letters from the five-year-olds, in their shaky penmanship. One just sent the alphabet, since he'd been taught it because his parents were home and able to spend time with him. A six-year-old wrote in large overbearing scrawl about how excited she was to try all these new foods, and that her parents were talking about having another kid, and she got a real cake for her birthday three days ago.

Sokka had one of the most moving notes at the end: "Katara, we needed this. I hate to admit it, but accepting this food and allowing it to help us it isn't weakness, it's a necessity. One day we can be strong enough to stand on our own. Today is not that day, and we need to make it to that day."

Katara felt tears running down her cheeks. She was somewhere between overly happy and overly sad.

Katara's gamble, her being her, had meaning now. It was clear that it was the right thing to do, which up until this point, she hadn't been sure about. It was changing her tribe for the better. Her people were healthy, happy, and living again. She couldn't imagine anything better. She was honored she could do this for them.

If she left, the food would stop. It would all stop.

It was imperative it continue. In a fleeting thought, she wondered if she could get Zuko to trade with her tribe, and she could still leave. But his father would never allow it, and what did they have to give in return? This was all free, if Katara stayed. It would be so selfish of her to expect her people to struggle to trade when there was a much easier answer. She couldn't imagine asking it of the tribe when it was so simple this way. People had done harder things for her tribe. People had died for her tribe. Asking Katara to say, even if no one said it outright, was simple in comparison.

"Hey, Katara, they're bringing in some board games. Do you…" Suki strolled into her room and stopped short. "Are you...okay?"

"Yeah?" It came out like a question. She realized how she must look, snot running out of her nose, eyes puffy, curled up in a ball surrounded by papers.

"What are all these?" Suki picked up a paper.

"My tribe wrote them. Thank yous...food…" Katara couldn't really manage more. Suki was carefully reading through one.

"Suki?" Katara found her voice, "Have you ever had to put aside your personal feelings to do something that would be for the greater good?"

"I might one day," Suki said, putting down the letter and picking up another, "Being a Kyoshi is about being part of a group, not being an individual. It's entirely possible." She looked Katara in the eye. "I'm guessing this has something to do with the letters." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

Katara agreed non-verbally.

"Well," Suki sat back on her haunches, "I don't know what it means to be a chief's daughter, I only know what it means to be a Kyoshi warrior. But I'd think that they aren't so different, since our main goal is to protect. And, I might be Suki-the-girl-with-feelings-of-her-own, but more importantly, I'm Suki-from-Kyoshi and that means something. Of course, I chose to be that and you didn't choose to be a chief's daughter, but I think the sentiments are still there. Obviously, I'm not you and I'll never be in this position or know what you're thinking but...well, it's the adult thing to choose - I think - what you know is right. But you have to live with it, so only if you can make the other part work out too, somehow. Otherwise, the choice doesn't work."

Katara bit her knuckle, nodding.

"Care to talk about it? I'm a good listener, so I've been told." Suki settled in, leaning behind her to close the door.

"I like Zuko." The words tumbled out. "I like him and I never meant to. I came here to get food, to save my people from starvation and exhaustion. I'm meant to go back."

"Well, that is difficult. I came in knowing I probably would like him, but also that I had a goal. Having both happen doesn't...oh, I guess, cancel out each other?" She tried to explain. Katara understood. Suki had calculated for possibly falling for him. Katara had not.

"Does he like you?" Suki asked next. Between all these dreadful emotions and the letters, Katara hadn't had chance to think about it.

"I thi...actually, I'm not sure." Zuko had done nothing but act like a friend to her. He knew where they stood. Maybe he actually just saw her like that.

"That would be a good thing to figure out. Nothing kills a crush like finding out someone doesn't like you back," She gave a dry laugh, "Trust me."

"So... I ask him. And he does? What then?" Katara prompted. "I've never had a boyfriend," she groaned.

"Well, asking him might be bad," Suki agreed, "But...there are going to be signs. Even so, either way, he might pick another girl in the end, as much as you like him. I think Zuko likes me, but I also know that he likes other girls, you know?"

This settled Katara a bit. She breathed out.

"Yeah. Just because I like him doesn't mean it's a set deal now," she agreed, feeling her anxiety being chipped away.

"Exactly! Plus, maybe you just need to focus on what you don't like about him. Or, make it clear to him again that you're just friends so he acts like a friend to you and that's all it is. Okay, so cons of Zuko?" Suki suggested.

"He has a temper," Katara winced, recalling the night before, "His first instinct is just to yell about things or set them on fire." She rolled her eyes.

"His family is pretty awful too. Like, his sister and dad. That's enough to turn anyone away," Suki added. Katara imagined having to be connected to Azula or Ozai. She shuddered. "Feeling better now?"

Katara took a deep breath in, closing her eyes.

"Yes. I have to stay. That's obvious." She opened an eye. "And this crush, well, I'll just deal with it. It probably won't lead to anything, anyway. If every girl that had a crush on Zuko was guaranteed something, it wouldn't work," she convinced herself.

"Exactly. See, you just needed someone to talk to."

Suki looked down at the letter she'd been holding and laughed, "Apparently, your brother knew."

"What?" Katara frowned. Suki turned the letter around to see something scrawled on the back of Sokka's letter, something Katara missed.

_By the way, are you like, in love with Zuko or something now? Your last letters have had a noticeable change in the way you describe him. It's sickening. I'm barfing right now. Hope that makes you feel good, that you made your poor brother barf having to think about you and him together. But, seriously, am I going to have to sail over, give him the 'big brother' talk and beat him up a little? You know what, don't even answer. I don't think I want to know. – Sokka._

He'd apparently been so impassioned about it he hadn't even written it in code.

"Siblings always know what you're up to," Katara rolled her eyes, "Apparently before you do."

"He sounds like a good brother," Suki said, "So...board games?"

"In a sec. I'm going to clean this up." 

Suki offered to help, but Katara had another thought on her mind. She was realizing that yes, she had to stay. But what Suki had said was true...she had to live with this. And Katara confronted things, when she had enough time to think about it. She had to see Zuko. Seeing him face to face would tell her if being around him with these feelings was going to be at all possible, or if it just would not work. And if it didn't? Well, then she'd have to brainstorm a ton.

She hastily scrawled a note on a clean piece of parchment and sealed it with wax. The girls were allowed to send missives to Zuko via guards, but Katara had the tree before this, so she never took advantage of the rule. Nothing she'd ever had was so important that it couldn't wait until he got around to it. Until now.

She handed it off to a guard, and he looked a little surprised since in all the time of the Choice, Katara had never sent a message to the Prince.

"I'll hand it off immediately, Princess." He saluted her. Katara sincerely hoped he understood what her note had meant.

Inside, she'd written something very simple.

_Tugging the necklace. Blue Spirit pass. Midnight._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I cut off right as Zuko was about to explain everything to Katara, my beta was pretty much foaming at the mouth XD Was that how it was for you all too? hehe ;) But, as I said in the beginning, I'm not going to drag it out much longer. Ie; next chapter, all will be revealed.
> 
> And how was that for Katara's big lightbulb moment?! Katara, hun, you're screwed.
> 
> So there was a sexy scene in here. I consulted with my beta and a couple others and I've decided to leave the rating at 'T' because this is as 'sexy' as this story right now is going to get. In the sequels the rating may be bumped up but for this story, it's going to stay at this level, just to give ya'll a heads up going forward.
> 
> I've posted JoinTheDarkSideofMagic's drabble request on tumblr/wattpad/a03. It's a Spirited Away Haku/Chihiro, so if that interests you, def check that out!
> 
> Until next time :)


	16. Chapter 16

Katara paced relentlessly in the food storage area. Every few minutes, she'd crawl back on the storage system, checking the position of the moon. It was at least half an hour past midnight, if not later.

Doubts crawled into her mind. What if he had never gotten the message? As much as the guards promised, if he had been busy all day, then there was nothing that could be done. Or, what if he was doing something else right now, like in meetings all night. But, she hoped that if that was the case, he might send a message her way, letting her know.

Worse, what if he got the message, but he was still upset with her and wasn't going to show at all.

And if any of these were true, how long was she going to wait? An hour? Hour and a half? Two hours? She was fairly confident she wouldn't be caught here, but every second did make her skin crawl a little bit more. All it took was one wayward guard looking for a snack, or someone seeing her feet under the gap in the bottom of the door and she'd be kicked out.

Perhaps one of the few things worse than going home by her own choice would be going home in shame.

Maybe she should just try another night. It wasn't completely imperative to see him, she told herself as she now stood here. She'd built it up in her mind, but in reality…

She'd give him another half hour. That was acceptable. More than acceptable.

The floor moved and Katara nearly jumped out of her skin. She paused, eyes zeroing in on the moving tile, and then a tentative, "Katara?"

"Zuko, I'm here." Her entire body flooded with relief. Zuko shoved the tile back, hoisting himself onto the floor. He hadn't even carefully set it back in place before he was coming over to her, hands rubbing over her skin...searching.

"Are you okay? Did something happen? Was it one of the girls? My father? Did my father or sister do or say something?" His eyes were frantic.

"Zuko, Zuko," Her fingers grabbed his. She looked up, realizing that the anxiety and the messy thing she'd been feeling weren't as present. Instead, she was just so happy to see him, as though the cause of her pain wasn't the fact he existed, but rather the fact that he wasn't with her. She still could feel her heart reach out toward him, but at least she knew this was manageable, since being around him made it better, "I'm okay."

"I just...the message. You never send messages. I was caught up in a boring survey meeting. Katara, you have no idea how distant I was, thinking that something was seriously wrong," he said, frowning heavily.

"Zuko, I never meant to scare you. I suppose it's not really one thing." She couldn't admit to him the real reason. "I just...wanted to see you." That was true, partially. She half expected him to get angrier, since when put in this light, she had put him through undue stress, and it was asking a lot of him to be sneaking to see her in the dead of night. She thought he may scold her for being so emotional about it, calling him here when they could have met another time. Instead, he paused and stared at her, uncomprehendingly.

"You just missed me?" he re-phrased. Katara nodded slowly, accepting it. She hoped that statement didn't say more than she wanted. Whether or not it did, she couldn't say, but the change to Zuko was instant. The widest, most genuine grin she'd ever seen from him spread all the way across his face.

"That's okay. That's perfectly okay," he assured. He motioned to a bag of potatoes, so they could sit. "I'm sorry I yelled yesterday at you. I'm sorry I shut you out."

"I shouldn't have come to your room." Katara linked her fingers. "That was stupid of me."

"I needed it, though," Zuko ran his fingers through his hair, "I need someone reminding me that I'm not as much of a screw-up as I would like to think sometimes. And you're right, my father didn't even care about an entire village being killed."

"I'm sorry," Katara murmured.

"They were looking for the Avatar, for airbenders. One in the same." He made a motion with his hands. Katara jolted, realizing he was going to tell her what he was about to last night.

"How can you be…?" Katara trailed off, "Sure?"

"They'd been poking around villages that are notoriously close to air temples in the past, but nothing violent. That's the news I got when I was with you the first time. Some people absolutely do know the Avatar is alive. The day I found him, a blue spirit light went into the air, and apparently every location with a statue or relic of a past Avatar lit up too. A lot think it was just a mistake, or something, since the Avatar hasn't been seen or found. Many can't deny it, however, since it is spiritual and not easily understood. There are also rumors that some airbenders are still out there. Makes sense, since before all this, Air Nomads intermarried like the rest of the nations did. And, around the time the sickness started to spread, I'd find it hard to believe that some didn't leave early, to save children. Maybe the airbending gene had been hiding itself, but my theory is that with the re-awakening of Aang, the gene is making itself known more formally again."

"The kid they killed?"

"Yeah, an airbender. Had to be. I looked into it and realized the Equalists had killed a bunch of people before, but it all seemed random. I'd bet my throne on the fact they were all airbenders, or at least rumored to be."

"The town, that was closest to the Air Temples, right?" Katara guessed.

"Indeed. It was an Earth Kingdom province that was known to be the stop before reaching the Air Temples. I'm sure mothers and children settled there, hoping the sickness would pass or something, but it never did. And eventually, they just made a home and moved, like people do."

A thought hit Katara.

"Is Dhakiya an airbender?"

"You're smart, I knew you'd get it. Yes. She is," His face grew dark, "so she couldn't be here. Eventually, the Equalists will come here again. Someone will slip up, someone will connect Aang to it all."

"Alcina knows, doesn't she?" She had seemed so calm about her sister's departure. "But how will sending Dhak back home be safer than having her stay at the Imperial Palace?"

"Her father had been one of my eyes on the ground, looking for other airbenders. He has friends underground, to say. She's not going home. She and her father are making themselves invisible. Alcina felt she could be of use here, since any Equalist movements get reported back to us."

"How awful." Katara drew her knees up. "Is Aang with them?"

"Aang is the Avatar, and he's been training for war since he woke up. Dhakiya only came into her bending powers a year ago, and no one has trained her. She'd be helpless here. Aang is not helpless. I was going to introduce them, but well, things happened."

"Will you tell him? And does he know about the villages? The deaths?"

"No, I mean, I'll tell him. All of it. Just not right now. It's not a good time for him to hear it. Aang, well, you've met him. He feels it all so vividly. If he knew there was a group out there that was not only searching for him, but also killing his brethren?"

"He'd go after them, untrained, unready," Katara finished. "If it ever comes to it, Toph is an out." She relayed the information, the theoretical discussion she and Toph had had earlier. Zuko shifted to lay languidly against the sack.

"I hope it never comes to that. But, we must be prepared for the worst."

Katara tilted her head, biting her lip. There was a question just begging to be asked. Finally, she could hold it in no more.

"Do you think your father might be working with the Equalists?"

Zuko leaned up on his elbows. "Why?" he asked warily.

"Think about it. He was completely nonplussed hearing that they had decimated a village. He's never been near the attacks, only you and your Uncle...and let's be honest, he doesn't like either of you a ton. He is looking for the Avatar, to kill him. Finding airbenders and killing them are a good way to draw out an Avatar. But to do it as Fire Lord may have backlash. Through a rogue terrorist group? Well, you can't always control those. He's been very unmotivated to do anything about them," Katara laid out, speaking quickly so she wouldn't lose the nerve.

"Agni, that's compelling." Zuko's eyebrows rose. "Shit."

"Am I crazy? Spirits, I hope I'm crazy."

Zuko merely grimaced. "I wish. I'm not saying you're right, but I'm also not saying you're wrong. I'll look into it, somehow. If there's a connection there has to be a thread. But my father has been doing underhanded things all his life. He'd be good at covering it up."

"What about your mother?"

"What about my mother?" This immediately got the furious reaction that Katara had expected from the other accusation.

"Does she follow him implicitly or does she...know? Would she be in a position to find that thread? And more so, would she be willing to tell you?" She placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "I mean no disrespect, I just don't know a ton about her."

Zuko blinked, "She's a good woman. Never doubt that, "he began, emphasizing each word. "And to answer your question, I think she knows my father's not a good person. But what can she do? Can't very well leave. She's always been close with my Uncle, so perhaps...I don't know if I want to involve her though. I have no problem going against my dad. But she had to love him once, or so I hear. Could she really do it?"

"It was an idea," Katara dismissed it, "We don't have to use it."

"It would be a good one," Zuko said. "I feel like I'm entirely too close to certain things. This is why I need you, Katara." He buried his head in his hands. "I really hate this. Politics. Having to be underhanded to get everything. I'm not good at it!"

"You can be good at politics without being a shitty person," Katara said, "I think my dad's a great example. I wish you could meet him. Then you'd know. Personally, I sort of like politics."

"You're a better person than I am." He barked out a bit of laughter, "Can you just take my place in meetings then? Spirits, wish you could."

"Yes, and you can pretend to be a girl in the Prince's Choice. Try wearing dresses all the time, and makeup, and having to weave things in your spare time." She made a face.

"Mhh, you're right. I'd rather be in council meetings," Zuko quickly agreed. Katara laughed, then slapped hand over her mouth when she realized how loud she was. She looked around, and then chuckled quietly.

"What?" Zuko asked. Katara shrugged.

"Just, looking around...there is more food in here than I think we've ever had, just casually lying around," she mused, "But now that food is coming in, from me being here...it makes me think a lot about things." She took out a letter the six-year-old girl, which she couldn't part with, out of all the letters her tribe sent her. When she looked up, a deep scowl had crossed Zuko's face.

"Sometimes I forget why you're really here," he said evenly. Katara swallowed hard. One part of her wanted to leap out, tell him that things had changed, but the other was inflamed.

"Yes, for food. But a friendship came out of it too, and I like that."

"But, you would have made friends with me even if I was awful, to get that food?" Zuko asked, staring at the ground.

"I would have continued pretending to be in love with you." Katara watched his expression. He'd been seemingly fine, even impressed with her reasons before. Now, it seemed like a deep cloud had settled over him. She wasn't sure what changed.

"Zuko," her voice quivered, "I had to. I don't think you understand how hungry we were."

Zuko's expression didn't change, but he did look up. She continued, "I was eating every other day. I would have rather died than watch a child go hungry, and so that's what I did...I gave my portion up when things got bad. But that wasn't the end. I was hunting all the time because it was up to me and my family to protect the rest of my tribe. Others? They slept for a meal, conserving energy, but I couldn't even do that because I had to be on watch all the time. Our numbers stayed low because children died most times before they even reached a year. Many choose not to procreate, not to bring a child into a world of constant hunger. As it was, most women stopped bleeding each month, because their bodies realized they had to divert that energy elsewhere, so we couldn't have children even if we had wanted.

We'd talked about moving to the food, following herds, but the young and the elderly got sick so fast that we'd have to leave them behind, and we couldn't do that. Have you ever gone three days without food? I have, and I'd do it again if I needed to. And any food we did get, far and few between, we had to send half to you." Katara felt a burning in her eyes and realized she'd begun to cry tears of anger and frustration. "And I don't even know if you used that food, or just threw it away and turned up your noses. Food that we needed so desperately! So when the opportunity came up, and it was more like an ultimatum - me or more food your way - I had to. I am the chief's daughter so it is my responsibility to feed my tribe. Mine. So I would do anything to make that happen. I left everything to go to a place that might kill me, because I'd rather die trying than sit back and watch us all starve." Her shoulders were shaking and she was hiccupping. "Understand that or don't, but I'm not going to defend my choices to you!"

When she looked up, Zuko's face was one of pure horror.

"You once went three days without eating?" His voice was weak.

Katara used the back of her sleeve to dry her face, nodding.

"I didn't know that's how it was for you," he stumbled, shaking his head and trying to wrap his mind around it.

"But now, they have food. So yes, I need to stay for that. People are happy. People are getting better, healthier. My tribe is alive again, Zuko," she whispered quietly.

"You are the bravest, purest, best person I've ever met." When Zuko said it, Katara was sure he was telling the truth. "What you'd do for your tribe, the lengths you'd go, is unbelievable." He was staring at her in awe.

Katara turned to him, saying very seriously, "My tribe is my family. All of them. I would die to protect them, I would do anything." She placed each of her palms on his cheeks. "But Zuko, you have become my family too. You are part of my tribe and I'd do anything for you, too. For both of you," she said, begging him to understand her, on some level, "I may be here to feed my tribe, but by happenstance I'm here to be your friend and help you too."

"I know." Zuko closed his eyes. "I have anger problems. You know that. I was getting upset over nothing. But Katara, I wish you'd told me about this before."

She withdrew her hands. "It's not something I like admitting. It shows how weak and vulnerable we are. The wrong people may take advantage of that."

"Right," Zuko said, "My father will never know this. I promise." He stood, pacing.

"I feel so privileged," he said, "I've never been hungrier for more than two hours. I can't imagine what you've gone through, and I hate that."

"I'd never wish hunger on you," Katara said honestly, "Not even my worst enemy deserves that pain."

Zuko turned around, rummaging, and came up with an apple. "Here."

Katara snorted. "I'm not starving right now, Zuko. This palace feeds me extremely well."

"I know, but," Zuko held it out to her a little more forcibly, "Please, take it?"

He was trying, in his own Zuko way, she decided. She bit into it, savoring the crunch, and she couldn't help but notice how pleased he looked.

She noticed a bag at his feet that, in everything, she hadn't seen until now.

"What's that?" she asked, mouthful of sweet juice.

"Well…" Zuko leaned down and pulled out his Blue Spirit mask. Until right now, she also hadn't noticed that he was in simple black clothes. "I didn't know what this was about. And I thought, actually, not sure what I was thinking. I brought my outfit anyway."

Katara reached forward, taking the mask from his hands and running her fingers over the carved wood. It didn't look as terrifying as she'd seen it be on the first night. Then again, she'd thought Zuko was a ruffian. He pulled out his swords too, and black gloves.

"Why do you have those?" She pointed at the swords.

"The lower circles are dangerous. Firebenders are less common than non-benders. Plus, my Uncle says each firebender's stance is like a fingerprint. Can't risk someone finding my secret out."

"It's really cool you can do this." she picked the swords up. Immediately, she tilted to one side, surprised by how heavy they were.

"They're to my bodyweight," Zuko said. "Try with just one. They're used like an extension of your arm. Not too different from bending," he said, watching and trying not to smirk as Katara very unsuccessfully waved it around like a toy.

"I'm going to break something," she finally admitted partial defeat, setting it back down.

"Would you like to go on a run with me?" Zuko asked suddenly, "We can't fix all your food problems, but there are a ton of starving people in the capitol too. I mean, I guess it's like comparing apples to oranges but maybe it would help?"

"Make you feel better, you mean?" Katara asked. She paused, wincing at his slightly crestfallen expression. She wasn't even sure how that came out or why, but she knew it wasn't true. Zuko was really trying, and he was right, they couldn't fix the problems with her tribe right this second. But, they could fix someone else's hunger, and that made Katara feel happy. "That was cruel of me. You're a good person. You were doing this long before I came around with my problems."

"No, in a way, you're right." Zuko rolled one of his swords in his hands. "I should be doing bigger things, but that's not always possible. So I do what I can with what I have until I can do better," he said, evenly meeting her gaze, "So are you coming or not?"

Katara didn't even have to think.

"Of course," she said. Then, she paused. "But, what would I wear?"

Zuko stood back, narrowing his eyes as he looked her up and down. "I have some things. Come with me," he said, shoving back the tile.

"To…?"

"My room, I have some extra sets of black clothes," he said, picking at his own shirt. "They'll be baggy, but that will just hide the fact you're a girl, I suppose."

Katara slid into the tunnels with him. Halfway there, she snorted.

"What?" he asked.

"Oh, well, just that I'm here...going to your bedroom with you...in the middle of the night...to put on your clothes...and then go trapezing around the city."

"Yeah. Not how many would imagine this night ending." Zuko seemed very aware of what they were doing, where they were going. This told Katara perhaps he did see her as a friend, thank Agni. He'd be far more flustered if he were having her in his room when he liked her. On Katara's end? Well, she could just say she was glad the dark was hiding a small blush that rose up on her cheeks.

When they entered Zuko's room, Katara had a chance to see it, sans fire and smoke. It was...smaller than she'd thought. But, it was clearly personalized. This must be the room he grew up in, and she guessed he'd move to a larger one when he was crowned Fire Lord. He did have a bathroom attached, and the anti-chamber that Katara had initially entered through, but his actual bedroom was small in comparison to the other areas, and certainty smaller than she expected.

Zuko was already throwing items out of a dresser, sifting through fine linens and silk. "I knew I had another pair...somewhere…" he grumbled to himself, "Where is it?"

In the meantime, Katara couldn't help but begin to encroach upon his room, just a little, as he'd done when he visited hers. On his desk were maps and plans and scribbles that Katara couldn't imagine to start to decipher. One caught her eye though, as it seemed to be a plan for Dhakiya's departure, and where she was going. She traced her fingers down the carefully penned plans, giving a long sigh of semi-relief. She hoped Dhakiya would be okay. She hoped soon Zuko would be Fire Lord, so he could get rid of the Equalists and Dhakiya could come back.

On a dusty shelf on the same wall were items he clearly hadn't touched in years. Katara was drawn to the shelf because its contents seemed to be mementos of his childhood: an old playbill for a play called 'Love Amongst Dragons,' a dragon carved from wood with the paint chipping away, a golden sun on a string that may have hung above a crib, and a family portrait where Zuko couldn't have been more than six. She took the portrait from the shelf, staring at it. It had the extended family too; Ozai, Ursa, Azula, Iroh, Lu Ten, and a woman that she guessed was Zuko's aunt were posed together. Azula was so young, grinning and looking like any other three-year-old. She was particularly struck by how similar Zuko looked to his father and Azula to his mother, now that she saw a rendering of a younger Ozai and Ursa. It was funny how, despite this, the two children would grow up to seem nothing like their family faces.

"Ugh, that," Zuko said from behind her, "I should really just get rid of it." He reached out to take it from her. Katara spun, grinning and holding it close to her chest.

"But you were adorable, Zuko! Look at that little face!" she said, holding it up close to him.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, plucking if from her hands and putting it face down, "It's all fake, though. That's about the year when my father realized I was awful at firebending, and we never really had a family vacation like that again. Then Aunt Nia passed away and…" He gave a long sigh, "Holding onto it is foolish of me. Things aren't going to be like that, not again." He shook his head, as though shaking away his moment of melancholy. "Found it, by the way, finally," he said, holding up a ball of black fabric. He handed it to her.

"Uh, where should I?" She tilted her head.

"Right! I'll be in there," he said, pointing to the antechamber, "Knock on the door when you're done."

Katara gave a curt nod and began stripping off her dress. She was gleeful to see a pair of pants, as large as they were on her. In fact, on both ends of the garments, she seemed to be tying up loose fabric into knots in an effort to make it fit better. However, the clothing did make her look more like a young boy than a woman, which was good if she was undercover, and it was very good for moving around. Katara did a couple of practice poses before recalling that Zuko was waiting for her cue. When he came back in, he had a couple more things in his hands.

"Here," He threw a pair of black boots at her, "those should fit." She hadn't even thought about shoes, but she was wearing a nice satin pair of slippers.

"Where'd you get these?" she asked, noticing they did, indeed fit.

"Azula's room."

"What?!"

"She's not going to notice. She's probably never worn those. Plus, she's not around. Where is she? Not sure." Zuko seemed very unconcerned. "And I also got this from her. She's never worn makeup unless forced," he said, holding out a pot of rouge and black kohl. "I have a mask, but you don't. You need to hide your face."

"Like how?"

"Dunno, just smudge it around or something. I grabbed this from the wall, in case you wanted a reference of a spirit," he said, setting a red and black mask not completely unlike his own on top of his desk, where a small mirror was, "I'd give it to you to wear, but I'd be worried someone would notice that it was missing."

Katara dipped her fingers into the makeup, dragging it along her face. In the middle of that, Zuko went around to put her hair up and she nearly jumped out of her chair at the contact.

"Just trying to hid this with a piece of fabric, or something," he said, frowning at her long and thick hair, "It's sort of a dead giveaway."

"Let me," Katara sighed, reaching up and brushing her fingers across his own, "I'm done with my face anyway." She turned. "How do I look?"

She felt the question catch half-way up her throat. Zuko was standing just behind her, and it was the first time she could see how well his black clothes fit him. Not snugly, but it certainly wasn't hanging in any places, and she could tell from it that he was well in shape. He was starting to situate his mask over his head and Katara felt the urge to get closer.

"Let's go," he said, giving a thumbs up, which she took as a good sign.

Back in the kitchens, Zuko began rummaging through bins for the throwaways, as he called it.

"I used to take good things. I mean, I figured no one would ever know, what with how much food is in the palace? But I had some shit to deal with and I was going nearly every night, and I have to hand it to the servants, they run a tight ship. Long story short, there were discrepancies in the numbers and guess who my dad put on running down the thieves? Me. Imagine, having to look into a problem you very well knew you started. Anyway, that was the second or third time I disappointed my father. Azula would have pointed at a random servant, no problem, condemned them and ruined their life. I couldn't do that. I never named anyone, but I did promise that I had talked to the staff and it would never happen again. So now, although I wish it were better, I can only take things that would be thrown out anyway. It's going to people instead of the dump, at least," Zuko rambled as he went around, throwing things into his bag.

"You're a good person, Zuko," Katara said softly when he was done. Zuko turned on his heels, letting out a sigh and a half smile.

"I really try."

Her heart thudded.

He threw her the bag. "Let's go."

The journey out of the palace and into the night, down to the lowest rings, was taxing. Katara couldn't even imagine how strong Zuko must be, to be doing this on a semi-regular basis. Not only was it an hour on foot - which Katara could do - but it was also a mixture of stealthy gymnastics and using abs and arms, which Katara could not do as well. Zuko never seemed frustrated when she lagged behind, but instead would crouch on the top of houses, waiting for Katara to pull herself up. She did appreciate that he didn't rush to help her, but rather let her do it herself. There was certainly something alluring about seeing Zuko like this. Perhaps it was his confidence. He seemed so flustered and careful around the girls at dinner and parties that here, when he leapt from house to house with such ease and never seemed unsure about the next footstep, it was like seeing him in a whole new light. Katara wanted to see more of this Zuko, even if it was because it made her mouth water and her whole body react like a love-sick idiot. Even so, it was nice to see that he was good at something, that he was in his element here.

He'd warned her that he wasn't going to use any firebending or talk at all while out, because he didn't want to be recognized, and she was fine with that. There was something both eerie and enticing, though, about looking up and seeing the Blue Spirit watching her, knowing it was Zuko but feeling like it was a different person entirely. Another side of Zuko, perhaps that was a more apt comparison.

The moon was sinking by the time they reached the lowest, dirtiest areas of the capital.

Zuko slid down a drain pipe into a quiet alleyway, where there were a couple of rats and a dog sniffing through garbage. Zuko tore off a piece of meat and threw it at the dog, who came up and very happily rubbed against their legs, sniffing hands for more.

"Sorry, boy, people need these," Katara murmured, running her fingers over his ragged coat.

Zuko lead Katara through the back ways. For a boy raised in a palace who likely had never come here as a child, he seemed to know his way around without so much of a doubt. She wondered how many sleepless nights he'd spent in the shadows of this lower ring, trying to make up for the mistakes of his father.

They reached the area that Zuko wanted to visit, and he motioned up to a flattened part of one of the roofs. He seemed to climb the wood stacked on the side of the shanty-house with no problem, but Katara was already feeling tired.

Once on the roof, he dumped out the spoils and laid flat eight smaller cloths. Katara understood what he was doing quickly and helped him tie them up. He pulled out small scrolls, unraveling one for Katara to read. She held it up to the light of the moon.

"Many blessings from the Blue Spirit and the Red Spirit," she tilted her head, "That's me, isn't it? Why a calling card?"

"To assure them it's not poisoned or anything. The Blue Spirit has a certain…" she could almost see him smirking beneath the mask, "Reputation around here. A valiant guardian of sorts, to say. I wasn't the one who started it, but it has worked in my favor. Obviously, I want people to take and use this food," he explained. "I added your name while you were dressing. It's not terribly creative but neither is mine," he said, pointing to his face mask. "Now, stay here and watch while I do the first one." He pointed to a window of the house across from theirs. If Katara peeked over the roof, just enough, she could see inside. She was surprised to see people still up and about. It looked like there was a large family inside, something that reminded her of her own house. In the South, they all huddled to share warmth. In a sweltering heat like this, it seemed unimaginable to have so many people living together.

Zuko grabbed the first bundle and leapt across the houses. He then crawled down a support beam, like a monkey or some inhuman creature, almost like a spirit in some ways, and knocked four times hard on the door. Then he jumped up, pulling himself onto the top of the door's arch just as a woman opened the door. Katara watched as she bent down, making a noise of half-joy and half-relief at the food. Katara could see how the lights were turned on and the children and adults inside rejoiced, gleefully rolling out the cloth to show what food they were given. When she looked up, she saw Zuko watching her across the way. He'd lifted his mask up, just slightly, and she saw the placid smile on his face. He jumped back across, helping Katara package the individual bags, and they continued with the rest of the drops. Each time, the family's joy was unparalleled to anything else Katara had ever seen, even to the reactions of food in her own tribe. There was just something so pure, so genuine about what they were doing here.

Eventually, they ended up at a high point of the city, sitting on the roof of a building at least five stories, taller than the rest, so they could look out over the shambles of the lowest ring, the tin roofs and the pallid houses.

"You know your way quite well," Katara said. She was leaning back on the shillings, leaning into Zuko's resting form. The mask was discarded in his lap. He was panting a little, the first indication that he was at all strained by this workout.

"When I first began, I wasn't looking to feed the people or do good. The first time I came here was not long after I got this," he pointed to his scar, "and I just needed to get out of the palace. It was stifling to me. My firebending was just all over the place, volatile after the Agni Kai, and so my uncle suggested I train with a swords master. Azula made fun of me to no end and my father didn't really care, since I'd won. For a while, I would just pull a hood up over my face. It wasn't until I found this mask dropped in the halls that I wore it. It seemed so...perfect, like someone knew I needed it. The first year, I pretty much just stomped around the lowest ring, breaking up petty crime and practicing the double swords. It wasn't until later I realized how hungry people were and I felt awful. As you said, there's just a surplus of food at the palace."

Zuko drew one knee up, lazily resting an arm on it. "So, after that, I began researching the people who lived here. There are many scumbags who capitalize on other people's misfortunes, and I didn't want to be feeding them. I have a list of good people, people who just got down on their luck and never got back up. I try to rotate with when they get food. Lately, with the competition, it's been more difficult."

He looked at Katara, tilting his head. "When you said you were here to feed your people, a matter of honor, how could I not understand? I guess I could stop, but this is my honor, my responsibility. My father's sure as hell not going to help them."

"It must be harder for you. At least I know everyone's getting fed. Here...it's just endless," Katara frowned.

"Yes. Often times it feels that way," Zuko agreed, "But that doesn't mean I should just give up. That would solve even less. And if I see a name I recognize from the lower ring, when it's my turn to hire people for the palace, I always choose them. If you can do well at the palace, you will get paid well. Everyone is offered housing here and most take it. And maybe even that doesn't make a huge difference, but to the individuals, it does. Aiga was one."

"From here?" Katara's heart broke. She couldn't imagine her sweet handmaid living in a place like this.

"Yes. She's flourished at the palace. You should have seen her when I hired her for this competition, Katara. So thin you could see her bones sticking out, face pale. She looks so much healthier now. I'm so pleased she was put with you and not someone who looks down upon the help. I know there are girls like that here with you."

"I'm glad too. I really like her. She's my friend."

Zuko smiled to himself. "You just make friends with everyone, don't you?"

Katara hid her smile low, peeking at Zuko through her eyelashes. He almost put his arms around her for just a second, and she almost let him, before he froze.

"We should be returning. Sun's about to come up," he said. Katara shielded her eyes with a hand and noticed, indeed, the pinking tinge across the skylight.

The trek back to the palace did not seem as difficult as before. Perhaps it was because already, mentally, Katara was making a map.

Once they were back in the food storage, she wiped her sleeve across her face, and sweaty makeup came off with it. She hadn't had a workout this good and this satisfying in ages.

"I can wash these, I suppose, before giving them back," she said, realizing she was mucking up his black things.

"Keep them," Zuko said. "Unless, of course, you don't want to come back out," he added, studying her.

"I didn't know you wanted me to," Katara said honestly, but her heart swelled.

"I added your name. We're a thing now, twin spirits," he said, and she wondered if that was intentional on his part, "Besides, being alone is lonely after a while. The lone wolf rarely finds joy."

"You sound like your Uncle," Katara said, remarking on his cryptic end remarks. Zuko's lips twisted into a smile at that. She didn't mean it as an insult and he didn't see it as one.

"Kat?" A peculiar joy warmed her to hear him call her that. It was rarely used; only by her brother and her mother, at times. But, hearing Zuko say the nickname made it feel special. "I'm glad we could be more honest about things. I'm sorry about your tribe, about all of it. I just wish…" He didn't quite finish his thought, but she understood it, even so. He took two steps to close the space in between them, taking Katara into a very unexpected hug. She stood frozen for a second, but then she just melted into it, her head right at the place to hear his heart beating in his ribcage.

"I like you wanting to see me 'just because'," he whispered, so quiet she wondered if he meant to say it out loud.

"I do too," she said just as silently, just as cautiously. There was the moment where both almost pretended the other hadn't said it, where they might have just stood there, embraced, with no words.

Zuko drew back but leaned down. Katara wondered if this was it - something, a line that couldn't be uncrossed - until he kissed her softly on her forehead.

"Sleep well," he whispered in the same gentle tone.

She nodded, leaving him, because something more might happen if she stayed. And, as innocent as his forehead kiss may have seemed, Katara knew it meant something. She was unsure on exactly what, but she doubted at this rate anything would stay hidden long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of people were ecstatic when I mentioned there will be sequels. I thought this was common knowledge, but I realized I guess I had only mentioned it to people in individual reviews before, but YES there will be 2 sequels, just like the original source material. I thought about just making this one really long fic but I'm going to need a break between these sections, and the time between sequels allows me to do that. Also, I want to start introducing other POVs and it would be strange to start doing it in the middle of a story, but not to do it in a new one, if that makes sense?
> 
> So, this story is going to have between 28-30 chapters, and then I'll likely take a month or so break before starting the sequel. I have NO idea how long those will be, so, I guess we'll all find out together!
> 
> I posted jacpin2002's drabble on a03, tumblr, and wattpad! They wanted a Zutara soulmates/forbidden romance fic, so I did the trope of 'you don't see color until you find your soulmate' set in the canon world of atla, so if that interests you, check it out!
> 
> Hope you like this chapter :)


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Memorial Day weekend all! The weather where I am is hot as hell, getting up to ninety degrees. I'm freaking melting here XD

"Another ball? Yuck! They're trying to kill me, spirits, they really are…"

Toph was not happy about the ball and told anyone who would listen. The annoucement came the day after her first night as the Red Spirit. Katara couldn't say she was thrilled about a ball either, but it was what it was. The difference this time, which Zhi made abundantly clear, was that while the first ball was in the contestants' honor, this one was a ball for which they'd only be attending. They'd likely still be interviewed and asked questions, but it wasn't about them entirely. This would be worse, most girls decided, since the group of guests would be larger and people like the Fire Lord - who made even Katara uneasy - and Azula - who just loved to see how she could manipulate Zuko's contestants - would be in attendance. Only Ty Lee seemed excited to see Azula.

"Oh, Mai! We haven't had a chance to see Zula in forever!" she squealed. "I have so much to tell her. Being a contestant here is really messing with our time together," she pouted. Even Mai didn't seem half as excited as Ty Lee, and this was with Katara assuming that she could tell when Mai was even excited. She'd been studying the girl for a while now and thought that she might have gotten it down; a quarter quirk of a smile meant she was ecstatic, Katara decided.

They had a week before the ball, so dance classes started up again. This time, Katara was called by Zhi specifically, and told she needed work on her feet movements. This wasn't news to Katara, though she hated the special attention. Luckily, there were a handful of other girls just as miserable as her, including Kilee, who also needed extra dance lessons.

"Why does it even matter?" Maiha questioned, another who was asked for specific lessons. "We all danced at the last ball and no one seemed to care if I stepped on a few toes."

Zhi's face puckered like she'd sucked on a lemon. "Because, Lady Maiha, that ball was in celebration of you. At this ball, you are merely guests for a larger matter," she reminded again, "It will be a moment to show that you deserve to stay here, and a good Fire Lady must know how to dance!"

At least she was getting a good sweat from it, Katara decided. With her nightly adventures with Zuko, she decided she very much needed to get fit again, specifically in her arms, so she could hoist herself onto houses with ease like Zuko. She even considered asking Ty Lee, the gymnastic queen, to give her some pointers, but then thought against it. She couldn't stand the idea of Ty Lee bugging for reasons for asking why.

Zhi had set up times for each girl to dance with her individually, so she could locate the problem and mend it. Katara's problems seemed to be, well, everything. They'd been at it for about an hour and Katara was exhausted, sweaty, and overall quite close to losing her temper. It also didn't help that Toph was lounging in a chair, watching them with her feet. She hadn't said anything, but Katara could hear her in the background, loudly munching on a pile of spicy soy sticks and snickering. Katara was about to blast Zhi and Toph right out of this very room. She'd decided she was all together done with dancing as a whole, screw whatever Ozai had to say about it!

"How many times have I said, it's the left foot, Katara!" Zhi snapped at her when she mis-stepped once again, "Spirits, If I have to-"

"Perhaps now would be a good time for a water break." Toph spoke up for the first time. It was actually a good suggestion. Zhi seemed to calm down, realizing that both of them were tired and getting nowhere fast.

"Yes, quite right, Miss Bei Fong. I'll gather us some tea," Zhi said, seemingly needing a breather just as much as Katara.

"Wow, Sugar Queen, I didn't know you were this miserable at dancing. Not a single step right, my gosh-"

"Toph," Katara snapped with a harsher tone than she had thought she'd be using, "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"Oh, lemme check my calendar," Toph said with a straight face, staring right back at Katara. "Nope," she replied with a shrug after a moment without looking away.

"You know what? Fuck you." Katara bared her teeth, grabbing a towel to bury her face in. She realized belatedly she could have just water bended her sweat away, truly showing how exhausted and frustrated she was.

"Geeze, hit a nerve there," Toph mumbled, but seemed to be deep in thought. She gave a long sigh and stood up. "Okay, okay. Look. I'm sorry." She seemed genuine.

"It's just I'm going to be here all night at this rate. I don't know what Zhi thinks will happen...that I'll magically get better at this?" Katara asked.

Toph was rubbing her chin, humming to herself.

"Okay, here," Toph said, grabbing Katara's hand and swinging her into the starting position, completely startling her. "Think of it as a battle. The man starts out, and for a lot of the time you're following his lead. But, there's a certain amount of push and pull to a proper dance, a thread of tension. It's what makes dancing so sexy." Toph raised her eyebrows meaningfully. "Just, follow my lead."

Katara snorted, but let herself be led by Toph's actions, as Toph narrated how she should be moving her feet by comparing it to a fight. Surprisingly, Katara wasn't doing awfully at all. In fact, this was probably the best dancing she'd ever done.

"You're blind! You don't know how to dance," Katara sputtered in amazement when they finished without Katara stepping on any toes.

"I'm blind so I'm excused from dancing. However, that doesn't mean I don't know how," she said, wiggling a finger, "Remember what I told Zuko one of my favorite things were?"

"Eating?" Katara frowned, looking back at the pile of soy stick dust where Toph had been sitting.

"Well, yes, but I meant surprising the pants off people. Consider yourself duly surprised." Toph bowed.

"Yes. I am. Toph...a dancer." Katara looked to the skies, shaking her head.

"It's not that hard to imagine." Toph crossed her arms, "I mean, dancing isn't about seeing, which is your problem. It's about thinking and feeling the rhythm. All I do is feel shit, especially rhythm in music. It's easy to get the steps down when it's what you're used to looking for. And, while I don't like being led around, there's something about dancing that feels less like the man's in control and more like it's just...life."

"But you somehow have snaked out of it," Katara muttered. "Can we just switch places?"

"I didn't say I liked dancing. And spirits know I don't want to do it in front of a bunch of stuck-up, makeup-faced politicians, you know? But, if push comes to shove, like teaching your useless feet-" she cut off, sniggering.

Zhi returned with three tea cups and let Katara finish hers at a semi-leisurely pace. Zhi's face was not red anymore and she seemed much calmer.

"Let's try it again, Katara," she said after a long moment, "Okay?"

Katara stood, looking at Toph and trying to recall her tips. Zhi started a beat and started dancing. Katara did her best to do it the same she'd done with Toph. It wasn't as good, since Toph had been directing her in the moment, but by the time they were finished, it was much better than anything Zhi had seen her do. Zhi hadn't had to stop them two steps in, or five, or ten. The entirety of the song had finished, and Zhi looked shell-shocked.

"I don't know what was in that tea, but that's quite acceptable for the ball."

"Just acceptable? I think that was pretty good," Toph said, giving Katara a thumbs up.

"Acceptable enough," Zhi held fast. "It will be enough to be able to dance with at least one member of the Royal Family, whoever that may be. At this point, I don't want to jinx our chances." She almost smiled, and Katara was semi-shocked to realize she had a sense of humor. "Find Lady Kilee please? I feel like I have another long session ahead of me…" Zhi said, going to pour herself another cup of tea.

Outside the room, Katara couldn't help hugging Toph. A little because she knew Toph would hate it.

"I owe you one! I didn't think I'd ever be released!" She let out a breath of relief. She never thought she'd be so emotional about dancing, however this was the lack of dancing she was pleased about, in the sense she'd been in there all morning.

"Yeah, you do owe me one." Toph rubbed her hands together in solid agreement. "I did it as a friend, because you just felt like a dying fish dancing out there, but having a favor from the favorite? Ah, too good."

"Don't push it," Katara threatened dryly, "I'm not going to do just anything."

"Oh, I know."

"So, what do you want?"

"You think I'm gunna use it now?" Toph laughed. "No, no. Better to squirrel it away. Who knows when it might come in handy?"

Katara groaned. "Fine. I have to find Kilee."

Kilee reluctantly dragged herself to Zhi in the practice room, and Katara went to the washrooms with the intention of cleaning off. However, she recalled how weak she'd seemed two nights before, on the run, and she had no idea when Zuko might offer for her to come along again. So, she went back to her room. She found that the door's entrance had a lip on it, and when she jumped up, she was just able to hang from it.

One...Two...three...four…

Katara counted with grunts as she pulled herself continually up to the doorframe, touching her face to the wood, imagining that she was pulling herself onto rooftops and up storm drains. Her arms weren't in bad shape, as waterbending mostly used one's arms, but they weren't built up for other activities. Her core was lacking too. Endurance? She probably had Zuko beat, if they were running for hours across a flat tundra. This was the Fire Nation, however, so Katara wasn't built for these conditions. It was her stomach and abs that had hurt the most on her return, the parts of her body that felt the most on fire yesterday and today.

After she'd reached fifty, she dropped onto the rug, her arms and upper torso feeling like jelly. She was glad she hadn't worked her legs as she dragged herself to the bathroom and actually did wash off this time.

She'd miss warm baths when she got home, she decided, since they did wonders for her sore muscles. Usually at home, she would have to take a day in between to ease her muscles, but here she had things like hot baths to help them heal quicker. Katara was quickly being far too used to them, spending longer than she'd ever done before in the basins.

Back in her room, feeling very clean and pleased with her workout, Katara couldn't help but close the door and go to the bottom of her personal drawers, a place she knew even Aiga wouldn't be looking in. She pulled out the black ensemble that Zuko had given her, holding it out. She found some thread and started adjusting the clothing to not be so bulky on her, so she didn't have to constantly be concerned about her pants falling down.

She caught a whiff of Zuko on the clothes and was holding them to her nose before she knew what she was doing. A tingly feeling zipped through her body and she let out a small moan of pleasure. She closed her eyes and imagined that he was in her room, right in front of her. It wasn't even in a completely sexual way, although the lower part of her stomach had started to twist in that sort of way, but it was more just having something that smelled like him that was making her almost dumbly gleeful.

She heard her door opening and hastily shoved her half-darned clothes back into the drawer. She'd been so caught up in mindless girly fantasies - she was continually embarrassed she was acting this way - that she hadn't heard the approaching footsteps.

"Katara, good!" Aiga said, holding up a dress bag, "I need you to try this on." She unzipped it and Katara went behind a changing screen to tie on her undergarments.

"Is that my dress for the ball?" Katara asked over the screen.

"Sort of," Aiga replied.

Katara poked her head out as she finished tying off her top. "Sort of?" she echoed.

"You're lucky. Shi makes the top five contestants' dresses herself for balls and events here on out, instead of giving the handmaids a design to follow," Aiga said, blushing as they both recalled how Katara had done most of the sewing on her previous dress. "But this is just a practice one. She wants to make sure it fits right before she goes onto the nice fabric."

"Sure, let's go then," Katara shrugged, letting Aiga slip the white muslin fabric up her body. Though she didn't know what color or decorations would be on the dress, she noticed that this dress hugged her body a little more than the previous one had, and as far as she could tell, it was strapless again.

Aiga went around, pinning it particular places and making marks with a small bit of charcoal where the dress needed to be taken in or out.

"Have you seen it?" Katara asked, trying to keep her arms above her head to keep from getting stabbed by pins, "The dress design?"

"No, but I trust Shi, don't you?" Aiga asked. Katara did. "And anyway, you're the number one choice. She's going to make you something incredible, I just know it."

"It could change. It could already be changed," Katara said, in respect to her position.

"Well, that hardly matters anyway," Aiga giggled.

"Why?"

"To be honest, I'm unsure why there's still a competition. It's you, Katara. You're Prince Zuko's favorite, it's so clear."

Katara blinked. "It is?"

She was still unsure that he liked her back. She wondered if her initial insistence at being a friend had banished any chance of him returning her now emerging feelings. She wondered if Aiga saw it for what it truly was, or if she saw what Zuko wanted her to see.

"Katara," Aiga said holding her hands, "He looks at you like you hung the moon. Whenever you are anywhere near him, he just smiles and he looks so happy. None of the other girls come close to that."

"We're just close friends," Katara said, biting her lip and allowing a little part of her to hope Aiga was correct.

"Just friends," Aiga tutted, "please. You and I are friends and I don't look at you like that," she said, causing Katara to snort with laughter. "In all seriousness, it's a look that can't be interpreted any other way. I know you probably don't see it because it's always when you're not looking, caught up in something else. And Prince Zuko? I think he could spend forever watching you get excited about something, just being allowed to be around you."

Katara suddenly felt choked up inside, and try as she might, her eyes began to water a little.

"Oh, Katara, have I said something wrong?" Aiga asked worriedly, handing something to Katara to dab her eyes with.

"No! Of course not. I'm just...I didn't know that," Katara admitted. To imagine that maybe they had something, maybe he could like her too, was a little overwhelming and scary and so badly wanted that Katara couldn't handle it. She already was a little angry at Aiga for giving her this hope that might not ever be reciprocated.

"Just wait until the ball," Aiga said, finishing up with the dress. "Look for it. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it." Yet, Aiga sounded so confident in her declaration that Katara felt her heart thud.

"Yeah, I guess so," Katara agreed. It did give Katara a lot to think about between now and then, which was a good thing or a bad thing. She couldn't be sure yet.

She should have known, though. She should have known it would be a very bad thing. In the time after her conversation with Aiga, all the way up to the ball, she imagined every possible scenario that could happen between she and Zuko. And she convinced herself all were possible, even the ones where Zuko sent her away after admitting that she liked him, though even if he didn't like her back, she doubted she'd be sent away. But, she couldn't help but fear it, even a little. And, the more she tried to convince herself otherwise, the more she began thinking about it. Damn.

Even worse were the thoughts she was having about him. She thought her dreams would be a one-off thing, but they were not. And then, to make things more maddening, Zuko was occupying her thoughts - in a very adult way - in her waking life, too. Her brain, which was apparently an asshole, had dug up a memory from their spirit run together. It wasn't anything at all, which is why she hadn't been thinking of it, but just a moment when Zuko had given a little grunt as he pulled himself up on a particularly difficult roof near the end of their trip. That sound bite, a simple and near-breathless moan of a sound, floated through Katara's head. And then her brain began to wonder if that's how he'd moan during other exhausting activities, none of which involving running or working out...not in the traditional sense.

She'd been at the dinner table when this thought popped into her head, of course, and she had to look down sharply to hide the blush that she felt warming her cheeks. Toph gave her a 'what the fuck' look across the table. She fibbed some excuse later, because Toph knowing of her 'sexy thoughts' would just be the absolute worst.

And later, when she'd thought she'd gotten that little moan out of her mind, she walked into the ladies' room to hear Alcina whispering with Cillia in a hushed voice.

"And you know what they say," Alcina was continuing, "That a guy's lip color is the same color as…" Alcina bit her lip and raised an eyebrow, motion down to her crotch. Katara turned to leave immediately, but that theory was stuck in her head and she had to deal with that thought invading her head the rest of the day.

Honestly, she was terrified that at the dance she'd see him and jump him on the spot.

And this was a little disconcerting, mostly because Katara had never craved someone else so much before. She usually acknowledged the attractiveness of a man, had her fun, and then that was it. She'd never had a prolonged attraction, especially such a deep, burning, moving one, to someone - love or not! She could deal with love, she thought, she could learn how to deal with that. But then the added sexual tension she felt was just making things truly unbearable. She knew most of the girls here were half-way in love with him. She doubted any felt the pull toward him the way she did.

Maybe she should just jump in the sack with him, just once, a part of her brain suggested. As absolutely temping as it sounded...no. Katara, firstly, knew that this may just make things more intense for her. And, if it didn't, she couldn't do that to Zuko. While she'd learned how to compartmentalize certain things, she knew Zuko would be all in, but only with the expectation of something else. And she couldn't lead him on for her own carnal pleasures.

And, it would ultimately change their friendship forever, which was something Katara wasn't sure if she was willing to risk right now.

So, Katara spent three very uncomfortable days trying to stifle her urges and convince herself that all of her 'what if' scenarios were likely untrue.

She was pretty glad that the next time she'd see Zuko would be at something very formal, like a ball, because otherwise she didn't know what she'd do. At least there, she'd be kept by the rigid rules of formality, where a touch to unclothed skin was seen was scandalous, so no chance that things could go farther than almost respectful nod or hand kiss between the pair.

It was a short-term solution, since she was still going to be seeing him somewhat alone on 'dates,' and then very alone when on their runs, but it would buy her a day and a night - at the least - and she would be able to gage his reactions of her at the ball. Small miracles.

THEPRINCESCHOICE

She was writing to Sokka when she saw a shadow lurking out of the window of her porch door. It wasn't Toph; it was far too tall, and Toph never cared about things like 'personal space' or 'knocking'. Katara couldn't imagine who else would be here, and she was immediately on alert. She uncorked her water skin, crouching forward. She slid up to her slightly curtained window, waiting for the perfect moment to-

A small, skinny blade caught the light of the moon.

She dropped her water skin, irritated, and slid open the door.

"Didn't you learn your lesson about sneaking around me months ago?" Katara snapped at Zuko, who was dressed in his Blue Spirit ensemble. "I almost killed the heir apparent...again."

She was so frustrated she hardly thought about her mental state the last couple days. That was, until Zuko turned, giving her a half-apologetic and half-smirking look.

"Sorry." He didn't really sound sorry. Katara thought he should be, since she was about to hurt him. "Wasn't thinking."

Katara corked her bottle, turning around. "What?" she asked, purposely not looking at him.

"You up for a run tonight?"

"I didn't think we had one planned?" Katara bent down to put her writing materials in a small drawer. She wondered if she was being obvious she wasn't looking at him.

"We didn't. It's just a little stifling." Zuko pulled at the collar of his shirt.

"The ball?" Katara frowned.

"You have no idea." Zuko slouched on her door frame. "All these important people are coming in, my father's even more bat-shit crazy than usual, Azula isn't even hiding her feelings anymore and I…" He sighed. "I have an announcement to make tomorrow I know is going to land me in some deep trouble."

This piqued Katara's interest. She turned.

"What sort of announcement?" Was he picking a wife? So quickly?

Tell him, a voice hissed inside of her, tell him how you feel.

Zuko shook his head, making a 'lips sealed' sign. "Just know...you'll like it," he assured, seeing her panic-stricken face, "Anyway, I just really, really need a release. Can you help me?"

Katara opened her mouth, biting back a dirty reply. Honestly, she had a lot of frustrations she needed to work out too. So, she nodded wordlessly and Zuko slipped back into the night garden while she changed.

On the way to the lower portions, Katara followed in silence, arguing with herself. Tell him, tell him not. Make a big deal out of this, continue as is. She was glad she was behind Zuko, or else she'd fear her facial features would give her away.

When they reached the top of a roof that was falling into decay, Zuko stopped abruptly, causing Katara to nearly run into his back.

"What is it?" he asked in exasperation, tugging up his mask so it sat on his head, "You've been unusually silent."

"Just following behind you. You're used to this, I'm not," Katara tried to play off.

"No," Zuko said more firmly, "Really, Katara...what's wrong?"

You. I can't stop thinking about you.

"Stuff." Katara gave a grimace. "Just, stuff."

"Anything I can help you with?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

Katara opened her mouth, fingers knotting around the loose fabric of her outfit. "Well," she began, but changed her mind at the last moment. "Naw, it's something I hope will work itself out." She waved a dismissive hand and told Zuko something that wasn't a whole lie.

Zuko narrowed his eyes slightly, locking his jaw. "Hmm," he grumbled, staring hard at her. His intense gaze made Katara feel weak at the knees, but she continued to hold his stare. "Well," he finally shrugged, "I hope it does."

He started to turn, but Katara grabbed his wrist. "What about you?"

"Me?"

"Yes. Something's bothering you as well. Something specific. Not just the ball." Katara said. Zuko gave a motion, something between a shrug and a sigh.

"Nothing," he said simply, but Katara knew that wasn't true.

"Zuko," she began quietly. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right? Literally anything," she said, realizing her fingers were still gripping his wrist. She had felt a flash of hurt that he didn't want to tell her, as irrational as it may be.

"Katara," he said just as soft, reaching up to tuck a stray hand behind her ear, fingers brushing and lingering on her cheek, "I know." There was a moment of electric tension between them, one where Katara felt herself being pulled his way.

Zuko pulled back, blinking away what seemed to be the haze in both of their minds, "I mean to say it's nothing I want to talk about right now. I just want to be here, helping, with you."

Katara nodded, her own fingers absently tracing the places he'd just touched. "Yeah, okay," she agreed.

"It's going to be short tonight, since both me and you have big plans tomorrow," Zuko said, dumping out the contents, "Three houses, maybe. It's just, in moments like this, seeing the waiters carry out a hundred plates that might not even be eaten, makes me feel sorta shitty and…" He tied off the first bag, "Here we are."

"Mhh," Katara agreed wordlessly.

They made the first two drops without much fuss, as it was late into the night and hardly anyone was awake anyway. It was nearing their third drop when things got a little more complicated. Perhaps both were a little too preoccupied with their own worries, or maybe tonight was just not a good night, but there seemed to be more people out and about than they'd ever had to worry about.

While Zuko was wearing a mask and Katara was wearing heavy makeup, Katara got the notion that they weren't trying to be seen.

Just as they'd hopped houses and slid down onto the alley-way, Katara secured her headwrap as she turned to exit the darkness. Suddenly, Zuko was grabbing her wrist and pushing her into a small carved-out place in the wall where a family might have stored food, had they the means for any. His hands pushed against her shoulder, maneuvering her back onto the wall. The area was hardly big enough for one person, let alone two, but Zuko seemed too preoccupied to notice this as he closed the decrepit wooden door behind them. Katara noticed, however; it seemed that it was all she could notice.

"What?" she hissed, pulling down her wrap just enough to speak. Zuko ducked his head low, almost resting it in the hollows of her neck, and took off his mask completely. She supposed the silhouette of it would be a dead giveaway, but she figured her figure was generic enough.

Zuko still had her pressed against the wall, his hands resting right over her heart. She worried he could feel how rapidly her heart was beating. She noticed Zuko was holding himself an inch away from her body, but that's all the cramped space would allow.

Outside, there was a crunching of boots on the gravel pavement. Peeking through the slits in the door, Katara's eyes widened as she saw a group of Fire Nation guards stumble past, all laughing and hiccupping a little. Drunk or not, she doubted they'd give up the chance to catch the infamous Blue Spirit. Finding the crown prince out here would be just as bad.

"Oh." Katara couldn't believe she hadn't seen those men.

"I'm used to listening for them." Zuko's breath tickled her skin. "Their boots make a peculiar sound when walking. Don't feel bad," he said.

"Why are they here?" Her voice hardly rose above a whisper.

"Not sure. Seems like they're off the clock, or they figure nothing's going to happen tonight anyway." Zuko shrugged. "But to be safe…" He lifted his head to meet eyes with Katara. "We should stay until they leave." His hand withdrew from her upper body.

"Yeah," Katara agreed, feeling compelled forward once again. The urge was even stronger this time, making her want to pull him completely against her - instead of knowing he was so close without feeling him - and kiss him senseless. Her fingers clenched at her own clothing, as she resisted the urge.

Zuko's breath was so hot against her, she could feel the heat even through her clothes. She bit her lip, sighing and tilted her head back. She counted to a thousand, but what seemed like an eternity later, Zuko stepped back. He righted his mask back over his face, helping Katara do the same with her fabric. She was perfectly capable of putting it on by herself, though - she wondered if Zuko was feeling the same magnetism between them?

"Well need to find you a mask soon, something proper…" he murmured, eyes raking over her face. Katara swallowed in reply.

So, she let his gloved hands tickle her neck as she imagined them moving to other places.

She was really glad she was a girl, because if she was a guy, Zuko would know pretty much exactly what she was thinking right now.

They made their third stop without incident and were traveling back home. They rarely had to travel on the ground, but when they came across a section of housing that Katara nearly fell through, going down a level was the only option.

"Freeze!" a rough voice commanded. From under Zuko's mask, Katara heard a string of swear words from Zuko.

They both turned, almost expecting to see the brigade of guards, but instead saw a group of men that Katara could only explain as bad.

"The Blue Spirit, walking here...I thought you just vanished into the wind," the leader said, "And the new one, the Red Spirit, innit?"

"They probably have some good stuff on them, don't they? And hey, we're the poor too," another one pointed out, "So, c'mon."

One of the men started to circle, whistling. "Those swords do look awful nice, huh? Bet they'd catch a good price to the right buyer," he said, almost reaching out. Zuko backtracked. He slowly shook his head, as if to say, 'You really don't want to start this.'

Katara counted seven men; nearly four for each. However, she was confident between the two of them, they could take them.

"Katara." Zuko's quiet hiss of a warning came drifting back.

"We can take them!" Katara hissed in return, "These punks probably have gone around stealing from everyone," Katara said, eyeing the bags of things they had tied around their waists.

"That's not it. Get on the roof."

"I will not just 'get on the roof'!" Katara nearly yelled back, before she remembered herself. She saw the glint of metal reflecting the moon and saw the men pulling out an assortment of knives or other hodgepodge weapons. "I can waterbend." She made a move with her fingers to pick up water from a nearby puddle.

"No, you can't," Zuko said firmly, and she thought he was just being a jerk until she saw him start to unsheathe his swords and recalled why they were whispering - to protect their identities. If Zuko thought being a firebender may out him, Katara knew there was pretty much only one known waterbender in the Kingdom right now, so the Red Spirit would be traced back to her with a snap of a finger.

Katara opened her mouth to say, 'Well, I'm not leaving you,' but she never got the chance as one of the men came flying at her. Katara darted, grabbing a rusty pole from the dirt. It felt incredibly heavy and cumbersome in her fingers. She was also used to more defensive techniques, as waterbending was done at a mid or far range. She rarely fought this close up. Without water coating her fingers, she felt empty. She managed to knock the first guy out, though just barely, and that was when she realized that she was in far over her head. It was the most frustrating thing she'd ever done, but she hoisted herself onto the roof and under the protection of darkness, out of the fight.

She had a good view of Zuko, taking on five guys, as he'd knocked out two already as well.

Watching Zuko with his double swords was like watching art in the making. It reminded her of waterbending, in the sense that the swords were a longer part of his arms, instead of two weapons. She loved Sokka, but when he fought it was with a lot of ungraceful hacking. The way Zuko swirled and sliced looked more like dancing, if not for the blood that was spilling onto the ground.

Even against five, it seemed Zuko was hardly worrying. Katara, however, would bite her nails if she wasn't concerned about keeping the face hidden.

One of the men suddenly ran at Zuko. He quickly drew the man in with the butt of his sword, catching the man's weapon and twirling him into a brick wall. The sound of impact was a little sickening to Katara. She had never had to kill someone. She wondered if Zuko had. She wondered if, since her stomach was heaving so much, she'd even be able to...if it meant saving her life? Saving Zuko's life?

A part of her truly prayed she'd never have to figure it out.

The next two advanced at the same time, but Zuko was able to dodge their knives, sending the pair careening into each other, tripping over the uneven cobblestones. Zuko stabbed them both in the legs; a non-threatening wound, but something that made sure neither would be getting up anytime soon.

The guy who had been admiring Zuko's swords came at him next, with a bulky club. Zuko ducked from its swing three times, and then punched the guy hard in the gut with the butts of his swords. When the man was bending over in pain, Zuko kicked out, sending him crashing into a pile of boxes, the wooden crates clattering over him.

Katara had known Zuko was a good fighter, but this was something else. She felt something burn inside of her, something that she would have been annoyed about feeling - that deepening feeling of not just want, but of fidelity too - had she not been so worried for Zuko's sake.

In what seemed like no time at all, it was just the middle-aged leader against Zuko. The man put away his small knife and picked up a rusted sword from one of his comrades. When he swung at Zuko, there was a grace that told Katara he had trained in sword-work. Zuko evidently knew this too, because he started using proper blocks and movements, instead of the jerky, less refined actions he used to disable the other men. This man also seemed to anticipate Zuko's moves, and for what seemed like far too long, it was just the push and pull of them both. The man managed to slice down Zuko's arm, but if Zuko felt it, he didn't even make a motion.

The one that did seem to hurt, though, was when the man managed to dig his knife into Zuko's hands, causing him to cry out and drop one of his dual swords. The man kicked Zuko to the ground, picking up Zuko's fallen sword and dropping his own, chuckling as he waved it around in his hand.

This was about all Katara could take. She dropped down, trying to be as silent as she could, and grabbed one of the wooden boards from the pile of broken boxes. With all her might, she whacked him in the back of the head. He staggered, but before he could turn, she whacked him again. He stumbled, falling gracelessly on the ground. She went for a third time, but Zuko grabbed her.

"Stop, he's out," he said, nudging the man with his foot. Katara sucked in a hard breath, dropping the wood. It clattered on the ground.

"Oh," she whispered.

Zuko began gathering the men, arranging them in a circle together. Although they were all still unconscious, he tied them up for good measure. Meanwhile, Katara opened the leader's bag and found family pieces and engravings of names she was sure were not their own.

"Thieves," she spat, showing Zuko. He nodded.

"Go up to the roof. I'll be back," he said, setting the opened bag near the men. Katara was about to ask what in the world he was doing, but he was gone.

She started to hear people in the houses around them opening windows, wondering about the commotion, so she listened.

Not long after, she saw Zuko a couple blocks down running back to where they had been with the group of Fire Nation guards in pursuit.

"He's going to get away," one of the guards encouraged the rest. Zuko burst into the courtyard and jumped up to catch the drainpipe. He winced, crying out, and Katara recalled he'd been injured. She hastily helped him over the edge, just as the guards appeared. Zuko shoved them both on their stomachs to watch the befuddlement of the guards. Some of the men they had just fought were coming to.

"Do you think the Blue Spirit...did this?" One of the guards seemed to sober immediately. "Great Agni," he muttered.

"If I'm not mistaken, those men were the Dirt Gang. Notorious for avoiding baths and Fire Nation guards alike, great at lifting items from the people too scared to defy them. Fire Nation's been after them for months. I've thought about going after them, never thought I'd run into them," Zuko explained quietly as the guards shackled the men and began rifling through their stolen goods.

Zuko and Katara watched with relief as the Dirt Gang was hauled away.

Once there was silence in the courtyard again, Zuko sat up. Katara did too, and flung herself at him, hugging him tightly. He was surprised for a moment, before hugging her back.

"I thought! Oh, spirits, when he got a hold of your sword…" Katara drew in a haggard breath, "I thought he was going to kill you!"

"I'm fine, I'm okay," Zuko assured, rubbing her hair.

"No, you're not," Katara said, pulling back. She took off his mask first, then his glove. Her fingers traced the ragged, ripped fabric on his arm and came back covered in blood. She held them up, shoving down her fabric mask, with a dark expression.

"I'm not dying, though," Zuko pointed out, trying to force a smile. His face was starting to bruise a little, although the mask probably saved it more than he expected.

"You...arg!" Katara shook her head. "This one is deep," she said, pulling his injured hand close to her, "Now...sit there quietly while I fix these."

"Yes ma'am," Zuko agreed with a hint of mirth to his tone.

"Katara," he began after a moment.

"What did I say about silence?" she bit back at him. She was angry, but mostly angry at herself. Angry about how worried she'd been, angry about how badly she'd wanted to bludgeon that man's skull in. She was angry because she was realizing how dangerous his position was. It wasn't just that this was a one-off event, Zuko was going to be doing things that could get him hurt all moments of the day. Heck, as it was, Katara was already half-concerned Azula was going to smother him in his sleep for the throne. And once he was Fire Lord? She was realizing that loving him was going to also mean worrying about him all the time.

Was this how her mother felt, with her father?

It didn't make her love lessen, though. In fact, it made her want him more. Firstly, because he was so brave about it, so ferocious. And, admittedly, it was sort of hot. But, on a more personal level, she wanted to be the person worrying about him. She didn't want that to be anyone else. Just as she wanted to be the one fixing him after these stupid things.

"I was just going to say you really came in there with the wood piece at the end." He swallowed, shrugging. "I think that could have ended badly had you not been there."

"You were doing great with the other five," Katara pointed out, "Amazingly great." She wanted to convey how impressed she was his with his non-bending skills. "I felt really useless because I couldn't waterbend. I say I'm a warrior, and yet…" She sighed.

"Most people only have one thing. Take away an archer's bow and he wouldn't know what to do," Zuko pointed out. "However, I think it would be good for you to learn a non-bending practice, just in case. There are lots of types."

Katara nodded in agreement, focusing on his finger.

She'd healed others before, like June. Healing June had been all about the healing. But with Zuko? There was something undeniably intimate about going underneath his skin and rearranging bones and sinews to heal him. She was literally under his skin. And, feeling him in such a way…

Katara was very carefully focusing on the aspects of this that were as detached as possible, albeit, failing miserably.

The cut on his arm was just as deep too, and she warned him he might have some scars, as she wasn't that proficient in healing. Zuko just shrugged, accepting it.

"Well, done." Katara stepped back.

"What about my face. I have the ball tomorrow?"

Katara had been avoiding that, since she knew it wasn't life-threatening. However, she realized he was right. Besides, if she made a point of avoiding it…

She summoned water the ground, placing her hand on his cheek and sighing, letting her body relax as she ran it over his purpling skin.

When she opened her eyes, his forehead has fallen to rest on her own. His face was inches from hers and she recalled the moment in her bedroom, when she'd recognized the static between them but hadn't even liked him romantically. So, the static between them now, she felt, was a million times worse.

It seemed Zuko could feel it too, because his large hands grasped at her waist, not pulling her closer, but certainly keeping her in place. His lips were so close that if she just moved an inch or two forward, she'd feel them. It was such a tantalizing thought, one that momentarily shut down her brain.

Below, an animal noisily jumped onto a pile of garbage.

Katara realized his face was fine now and stepped back, inhaling deeply.

"It's almost dawn, shouldn't we get back?" Zuko asked. But his eyes seemed to ask something else. Katara fixed this by looking at the ground.

"Yeah, we should," she said, putting her mask back on. "So...to the palace?"

Katara tried not to see the pensive look on Zuko's face, looking at her deeply, as she made the first leap over the house to return home. She couldn't know exactly what he was thinking, but she had a pretty good idea.

Agni help her.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, so sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I was the MOH in a wedding this weekend, so that basically took up all my time. I was planning on still having this chapter up on time, but then on Sunday night we had a family medical emergency involving my 4-year-old cousin. He's okay now, but I don't really want to say much else on the topic. Because of that, I hadn't been feeling in the spirits to go online and post a chapter, if that makes sense. But, this are looking up, so once again, I'm sorry y'all.

"Wake up, wake up!" Aiga threw the curtains open, pulling Katara's sheets from her. "No sleeping anymore today!"

Katara grabbed the blankets, wrestling them back. "Balls are at night," she growled, covering her head.

"It's already afternoon," Aiga pointed out, and Katara sighed, sitting up to huff at her handmaid.

"Fine. You got me there," Katara said, "Can't I be sick again?"

"No!" Aiga shook her head frantically, "Not tonight!"

Katara studied her. Aiga shoved a hot cup of black tea in her fingers and Katara sipped it slowly. "You're chipper."

"Well," Aiga didn't turn from where she was dumping all of Katara's makeup onto the table and making two methodical piles - Katara assumed they were 'things she would be using' and 'things she wouldn't.' "It's such a big event that each of you will have an attendant there with you, in case you need anything."

"Oh. If I don't you, you don't go," Katara surmised. She felt bad, seeing Aiga's ecstatic face. "But don't you want to see your boyfriend again tonight?" she tried one last time.

"All hands are on deck for this event, he's going to be there too," Aiga said. "Katara, I've never been to a ball in my entire life," she breathed out.

"Balls are overrated."

Aiga went on like she didn't hear Katara. "Just think! The food, the music, the dresses...I used to dream about going to balls when I was a little girl."

Katara gave a soft smile, looking down. "I was just being silly, Aiga. Of course I'm going," she said after a moment. Besides, she doubted short of dying, Zhi would excuse her again.

"Great!" Aiga's grin was a thousand suns bright, "This is just going to be the best! And...if you were to excuse me from you for a while...I could, I dunno, see him." She didn't have to specify who 'him' was, Katara knew.

"Well I can't imagine a reason why I'd need you around," Katara rubbed her chin, "So, yeah."

"This is why you're the best Katara. I know some of the other girls are going to drag their handmaid around with them all night, even if they never need a single thing. I guess that's what we're here for, but-"

"It might be the old way, but it's still stupid," Katara agreed. Aiga chuckled.

"Anyway, I'm not wearing anything fancy tonight, but I'm still really happy." Aiga went over to Katara's wardrobe and unhooked a black bag, "You, however…."

She unhooked the cover and slid it off of the dress Shi had made for Katara.

"Wow," Katara couldn't stop the exhalation from escaping her.

"Mhh," Aiga was grinning proudly, even though Katara was pretty sure she had no hand in making this garment. No offence to her, but she was awful with a needle.

"I just, it's not what I thought it would be," Katara admitted after a moment. This much was true. It was entirely unlike anything she would have asked for. It was nothing like her tribal wear, which perhaps should have made her angrier, but she knew that Shi had still kept Katara specifically in mind while making this dress. She couldn't have been angry if she tried.

The dress itself looked like it had been dipped in the moon, and stardust was still hanging from it. It shimmered between a royal champagne color, to an iridescent pick, and then to nearly a silver sheen. The whole dress just glittered like the sky. It had arm bands attached by the scarcest of threads, much like a ceremonial scarf her tribe may dance with. The neck looked like a sea of diamonds almost all the way up to her chin, held up by nothing but air. Upon closer inspection, Katara saw they were held by a very fine mesh that was the exact color of her skin. The back of the dress dropped open.

Katara realized that somehow, she'd moved from her bed to this dress...almost without thinking. "I never thought I'd love a dress so much," Katara said honestly, blinking in surprise.

"It's the most stunning thing I've seen," Aiga agreed. She placed herself between Katara and the dress. "A bath for you first. Hair and makeup. And then, this gorgeous dress," she said, wiggling a finger.

Katara nodded, sending one last look toward the dress - shocked she was going to be wearing something that looked so ethereal - before ducking into the bathrooms.

In the tub, she scrubbed her body hard, erasing the dirt that still clung to her body after last night. She hoped Zuko's new scars weren't too noticeable, and that she'd fixed his cheek well enough. She had a lot of thoughts about last night, all swirling around her and leaving little leeway for other things.

She scrubbed her skin harder.

Most of the girls were already through showering, so Katara didn't see anyone that afternoon. She felt a pang. She sort of missed having someone ask her how she was doing, besides Aiga.

She figured she'd have plenty of time to socialize tonight. She chuckled as she left; she'd never considered herself someone who would seek the solace of other girls or be excited to gossip in a corner.

She would have never thought that she'd fallen in love with the prince, yet here she was.

Aiga worked to put Katara's hair in an elaborate updo on the top of her head, but she kept her two loops without Katara having to ask.

"What do handmaids wear to these events?" she asked.

"We have a standard dress that we all wear. To set us apart from other guests," Aiga replied as she slid another pin into Katara's hair, "It's nice, but it's not like this." Aiga threw another glance to Katara's dress.

"Are other girls in the palace excited? Or…" Katara tilted her head and Aiga made a noise in the back of her throat. Katara realized what she'd done and moved her head straight again.

"Some are. The ones who were assigned a contestant and who haven't always worked in the palace, like me. Other girls - girls who were brought and already worked for girls - have already seen events like this. I think everyone's a little excited though. We'd all hope, not expect, but hope that if our girl makes it we'd join her, too." Aiga's voice was small, almost too hopeful.

"Aiga," Katara caught Aiga's eye in the mirror's reflection, "If I ever made it to Fire Lady, you'd come with me. Absolutely. There's no one else I trust to do it," she insisted.

"You're just saying that," Aiga said, hiding a growing blush. "Done!" she announced before Katara could insist again.

Katara was unable to talk while Aiga was doing her makeup. Aiga went much more elaborate than last time, if Katara were to compare the two. Her eyes were painted with a deep, smokey wing that morphed into a bronzy color on her lids. She had heavy mascara on. There was a gloss on her lips that seemed to be sparkled with gold, but not overwhelmingly so. Katara wanted to rub her eyes - her fingers twitched - but she staunchly resisted the urge.

"I'll be back in an hour and a half to put your dress on you. We'll leave not soon after," Aiga said. "Don't touch!" she snapped as Katara's hand almost went to rub under her eyes.

Katara muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes.

She went to the ladies' room, glad to see some friends there. They were all dolled up too, without dresses, and were playing a game of Pai Sho.

"Distract me. Distract me before I smear this great work all over my hands," Katara laughed, settling down next to Toph.

"Well, in case that does happen, let me just say I'm glad I got to see you. You look hot," Toph said, giving a thumbs up.

"Thanks Top-" Katara began, then frowned, "That's just not nice."

"Actually, Toph's right," Suki said. "Well, you look beautiful. She does, Toph." Suki kicked Toph's shin.

"I figured," Toph shrugged, "I mean, I doubt they'd just throw powder on your face and call it a day."

"Plus, Aiga's one of the best with makeup," Smellerbee added. Somehow, by some miracle, her handmaid had made her actually look quite feminine. Katara had to do a double take. "So I've heard, at least."

"Yours looks good too. Didn't even recognize ya!" Toph said, clearly enjoying her own jokes tonight, leaning back.

"You can be quiet, Bei Fong," Smellerbee snapped. "It's not often I feel...pretty."

"Pretty's overrated. I'd rather be awesome," Toph said.

"Why can't you be both?" Suki gave a shrug of her shoulders, "I think you can be both."

"Wanna take over my spot, Katara?" Smellerbee asked, scooting over, "I don't even know what I'm doing."

"I wouldn't either," Katara snorted.

"I'll teach you," Suki said, inviting her closer. "How about me and you and against Toph and Besu?" she offered.

They hadn't finished the game by the time Besu's handmaid came to call her. Katara took it as a sign she should probably go back to her own room, as well. Even though the game was only mid-way through, Katara was pretty sure that Toph was whipping their asses, for being a blind girl. Katara wondered if Toph was 'cheating' by feeling the ways their body betrayed them, picking out moves before they played it.

Aiga was waiting for Katara when she returned to her room, and she helped Katara slip into the dress.

It fit perfectly. Nothing too tight, nothing too loose. Well, Katara knew she shouldn't have been surprised, since Shi made it, but she still was.

And wow, did she look great.

"Whenever you're ready, we can walk over. Since I'll be with you, they're letting us go whenever we're ready. Plus, since the ball isn't being thrown for you, they'll just announce us like any other guest at the door," Aiga explained. Aiga let Katara pat on another layer of her lip gloss and then put it in a small bag of her own with other touch-up items.

"In case I need to touch your face up during," Aiga explained when Katara gave her a weird look.

"This night hasn't even started and I'm done with it," Katara rolled her eyes. Aiga just laughed.

"Are you good?" Aiga asked, nudging her toward the door. Aiga was almost vibrating with excitement.

"Take me to the ball," Katara decided.

She couldn't be sure if she was one if the first or one of the last of the group to arrive. She figured she was in fine company, since Alcina was walking in with her own handmaid around the time Katara left.

Alcina was wearing a fiery orange color, but she gasped out loud when she saw Katara's dress. "It shouldn't even be legal that dress! Spirits, if the prince doesn't have a heart attack when he sees that, he's either gay or not human." Alcina bumped her shoulder.

"Oh, come on. You look really good in that too." Katara bumped back after an awkward moment.

"Well, orange is my color," Alcina shrugged, "But gosh, I look like a goat herder in comparison."

When they reached the doors, there was already a small queue of people, some from the competition, some guests. It made the whole thing feel a bit normalized, that Katara wasn't being paraded around like a prize dog or something.

There was a trend, however, that Katara could see in some of the girls from her group that made her frown. She wasn't completely sure of it, not until she entered the main ballroom. There seemed to be a shocking number of girls who were wearing the exact same shade of blue she'd been wearing to the last ball. A color was a color, true, but this blue...

It was her tribe's, and so she did feel a little angry. More so, she was just...confused.

"Ah, yes," Aiga followed her gaze to Saya, who was wearing a dress so short that Katara couldn't believe it was considered appropriate for a ball...in that blue color. "The textile makers were extremely confused about why this shade was so requested. I knew, though. Shi was contemplating making your dress in another blue shade, but I steered her away from it. Told her to do something totally different."

Katara gave her a grateful smile, "Thank you. This makes me stand out...but all this blue? It's a little creepy."

"They're trying to emulate you," Aiga said. "They figure that you're doing something to get to the number one spot. Might as well try to be you to gain the prince's favor, as well as the public's."

"But it's just a color!" Katara threw out her hands. Aiga shrugged in response. "Besides, Toph is in the top five, and she and I are nothing alike."

"They're desperate. There hasn't been someone cut in a while. It won't be long now, and all the girls wearing that color are the most likely to leave, the ones who need to make their place here solid."

Across the room, Katara saw Zuko greeting some people. His gaze passed through the crowd, aimlessly, until it fell on Katara. It stayed there for only a quick second, but long enough to take in her dress. She knew he had noticed her because his whole face turned bright red, and he quickly turned his whole body away. Katara had felt the urge to do the same, but she stayed solid.

Aiga snorted into her hand next to Katara. "The Prince is quite the strange one," Aiga said, eyes sparkling, "And there's no denying that this dress is doing exactly what it's meant to do."

"And what would that be?" Katara crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm not going to spell it out, Katara, we're in a public place," Aiga said, but her wickedly curled lips said it all without saying another word. Katara groaned.

"Why are you all so interested in getting me into the Prince's bed?" she demanded.

"Woah, careful there sweetness, don't want the wrong people hearing that!" Toph said, coming in at the exact wrong time. Katara had to admit she was right, however, and bit her lip to keep from saying something else really stupid and embarrassing. Her eyes went above the crowd. She saw that Zuko had gone over to Aang and the two were laughing about something.

"It's her fault," Katara glared at Aiga, "She started it. If she hadn't been making up things about Prince Zuko's feelings toward me-"

"Ah, Katara," Toph rolled her eyes, reaching out to grab a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, "Let me just say this...the Prince is certainly all hot and bothered about something, and I'm pretty sure it's not Kuzon."

"Both of you. Shut. It." Katara sulked deeper, but she couldn't help stealing another glance at Zuko. She snapped her head back down. She needed to stop this. Zuko would still be around, whether or not she was looking.

"Apparently, so are you," Toph said, tilting her head with interest. "When did in the world did you start wanting to get in the Royal Prince's bedroom, if you know what I mean?"

"Katara!" A sickly-sweet voice interrupted Toph's question. Aiga and Toph's handmaid were trying not to laugh at Katara's face.

"I have never been so happy that Nadhari is calling to me," Katara hissed, poking Toph's shoulder. "And you can stay here, until you learn to behave," she growled to Aiga. Toph sniggered.

"Worth it." She nudged Aiga and Aiga chuckled openly in clear agreement.

There was probably no situation but this that would have led Katara to happily abandon her friends to talk to Nadhari. Nadhari was beckoning Katara over to a little corner, her grin far too nice.

"What?" Katara crossed her arms. Frankly, she was tempted to just walk away, since she could think of nothing in the world that Nadhari could say that would interest her. However, she'd walked all the way over here, so, "This better be worth something."

"Oh, silly Katara." Nadhari linked her arm with Katara's and Katara scowled, trying to pull out of her grip. Nadhari was surprisingly strong and walked Katara further from the crowd, giggling. Actually giggling, which Katara had never heard her do.

"You drunk or something?" Katara asked.

"You're so funny, you know?" Nadhari tilted her head. Katara saw the faces of the people as they passed, people who paid no attention to them. Why would they? They were just two girls, laughing it up, having a grand old time.

Katara was immediately even more suspicious.

Nadhari steered the two of them in the direction of the bathrooms, but then veered them sharply the other direction, completely out of sight. She opened a door, shoving them both into a closet used to store the linens and banners.

"Yeah, I'm leaving," Katara announced, not wanting to be a part of this at all, whatever this was.

Nadhari's eyes flared and she jerked a hand up. A wall of earth, unmovable, appeared between Katara and the door. Katara turned back to snap at her, but saw Nadhari unzipping and trying to wiggle out of her dress.

"What are you waiting for? Take off your dress," Nadhari commanded.

"Woah!" Katara shielded her eyes. "If I never gave you any indication that-"

"Oh, ew!" Nadhari looked disgusted at the idea of liking Katara. "No. I want your dress. You're going to give it to me. The Prince hardly gave me a second glance but he looked like he wanted to devour you."

"And you think he's not going to find it suspicious when we switch dresses?" Katara snorted.

"Quiet, whatever." Nadhari shrugged. "I mean, I'm sure I'll come up with something."

"You think he'd believe you over me?" Katara asked. "Stop it, I'm not going to take off my dress," she said, turning back to the wall and starting to analyze it, figure out a way out of this.

"I can take it off for you," Nadhari reached forward, roughly spinning Katara back around. When Katara tried to shove her off again, Nadhari's fist grabbed a string of beads and she tugged hard. They went flying, tinkling onto the floor. Katara wasn't sure why seeing this upset her so much, but it was all she could take to swallow back her anger and tears. She wanted to slap Nadhari into next week, but she restrained herself.

"You're just a shallow, needy child and you're digging your own grave," Katara said darkly, "And if Prince Zuko didn't see how much of a brat you are before, surely he will see now." Katara began to methodically scoop up the beads. She doubted she could sew them back on right now, but she did want them.

Nadhari was silent, just staring at Katara with something that almost looked like tears in her eyes.

"You're...you...you're just a backwater savage from a pathetically archaic patch of ice! Why does he like you so much?"

Katara sighed, shrugging. "Ever tried being a decent person? It's all the rage. Now kindly, shut your mouth. Let me out of here too, that would be a good start," she said tapping the stone wall. "Though I doubt you can fix all that awful," she added under her breath.

There was a moment of silence, of burning hatred between the pair.

"You do know that the Prince - or someone - will begin to wonder where we are if we're trapped in here all night." Katara tilted her head.

Nadhari looked like she was arguing with herself, but in the end she dropped the stone wall. Katara fisted the beads in her palm.

"Even though you kidnapped me, thanks," Katara said tonelessly, returning to the party. She caught sight of herself in the mirror- the dress didn't look ruined, thankfully, but to Katara it stuck out like a sore thumb.

Back in the party room, she just felt a dark cloud around her.

"What in the world happened?" Aiga asked, gasping.

"Nadhari," Katara said, emptying the beads in her palm into Aiga's help bag. Aiga's whole face clouded.

"I shouldn't have teased you. I mean, I didn't mean for it to hurt your feelings. I just thought we were friends, and that's what friends do, but I overstepped." She bowed low, but this didn't feel right to Katara.

"No, I overreacted. We are friends," Katara assured. "It's not you, it's Nadhari. She's just a vile person."

"Yes, we all know that - the handmaids," Aiga clarified. "I can go get the Prince. Would that help you?"

Katara was tempted. She did want to see him, especially after an event like that. But, Katara would have to tell him why she was upset, and she didn't want to look like a little girl who went and squealed to Zuko right away. She absolutely planned on telling Zuko about Nadhari, but if she told him now, he might kick her out in the middle of the ball, and as horrible as Nadhari was, Katara wasn't that cruel.

"No, I'll talk with him about it after the ball," Katara said decisively.

"Well, is there something I can get for you? You just look so unhappy." Aiga nervously played with her hair.

"Maybe some food. Food has always made me feel better." Aiga nodded dutifully and was gone in an instant.

Katara saw Nadhari re-enter the party. Her eyes were rimmed with redness and she looked beaten down. Katara had recognized a last-ditch effort when she saw one; Nadhari must have known it couldn't end well, not in most scenarios. It was so silly, Nadhari was in the top five, in a much better position than any of the girls. But that wasn't good enough, not right now. No, she needed to be the victor. She needed to be the number one.

Katara nearly felt bad for her. Nearly.

"Princess Katara," a hand tapped her shoulder, "You seem in need of cheering up. Dance?"

Katara turned to see Lu Ten standing next to her. She'd been so deep in her own thoughts that she hadn't seen him come up. Aiga was still in line for the food, and she figured that a dance didn't last very long anyway. While she wouldn't say a dance was the key to making her feel better, she did think talking to Lu Ten may help.

"Yes," she agreed, letting him guide her out.

Not even four spins into the dance, Lu Ten laughed. "You are an awful dancer, Princess Katara," he said. When she began to argue, he added, "It's wonderful."

"That's not what I was expecting."

"I've danced with a lot of girls here, and so many are so meek. They're fine dancers, but just fine. They've learned the movements, but they don't feel dancing anywhere inside themselves. There's a difference. It just makes them seem impressionable, in all the wrong ways."

"Feel dancing? I think I murder dancing." Katara couldn't help but smile.

"You do indeed. You also try to lead without knowing any semblance of the dance whatsoever. It's refreshing to see you fail at something. Everyone fails at something, but it takes a courageous person to admit it. I suppose it's a good thing it's something as frivolous as dancing," he added after a moment.

"Zhi tried to teach me. I don't think I'll ever really catch on," Katara winced.

"You also have rhythm, but for a dance like this you feel far to constricted," Lu Ten added.

"Nothing gets past you. You read me like a book, huh?" Katara said. She wondered if he could tell how much she liked his cousin. Try as she might, she was always covertly trying to find where Zuko was. Most of the time, she didn't realize she was doing it.

"I've been told I'm good at that," Lu Ten agreed. "I'm important enough to gain access anywhere, but not important enough for people to worry about me hearing things. I've gotten used to reading people, because it's one of the few things I have."

"You and Toph should talk. I'm sure she'd love to pick your brain about those things." Katara saw Toph on the other side of the room chatting with Suki.

"The blind one? I wouldn't be surprised if she could tell me some secrets about the palace that even I don't know." Lu Ten once again read someone perfectly, even if it was about another person like himself.

"Yeah, likely," Katara agreed.

He spun her around and for a second, Katara felt a little better. Lu Ten was so quiet, that he just let all the bad energy Katara had been feeling float away. Plus, he was non-intrusive, not wanting to budge into her life.

"So," Katara began once they were face to face again, "This big announcement...you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" Katara fished cautiously.

"Of course I do, Princess," Lu Ten said, tilting his head. "I helped him write it, of course."

"What is… 'it'?" Katara tried to come off as only slightly interested, as though maybe he'd be more willing to tell her. "He just said I'd like 'it'."

"I imagine you will." Lu Ten paused. "It's an announcement. As the Prince's Choice continues, Zuko will take on more and more responsibility to prepare him for his eventual coronation. This is the first time: he's been tasked to set up a program or change within the Fire Nation."

"Oh." Katara furrowed her brows, trying to imagine how she would like whatever it was that he was going to announce. Her worries about him picking a wife did vanish, however.

"He had a fine idea for a program a couple of months back, not a bad plan, but sometime this week he came into my father's room and he just said 'Uncle I need your help.' He was quite adamant about changing his announcement, even though it was so close. But my father worked tirelessly with him to make this happen. He has long been practiced in the skills of wording things for Ozai's benefit."

"So it's something Ozai wouldn't have approved of." Katara narrowed her eyes.

"No, not in the terms Zuko originally told us. However, the plan they've settled on is all around better for it, and it will please Ozai, as much as my uncle can be pleased."

"What is it?" Katara could take it no longer.

"My dear cousin would kill me if I spilled the secret. You'll just have to wait, Princess Katara. But, I get the feeling that's not one of your strong suits."

"You have no idea," Katara huffed in frustration. "You understand my worry, though?"

"I do. But believe me when I say that you will find it pleasing. And believe me even more when I say that my cousin would never do anything to hurt you, not even to displease you, if he could stand it. Maybe you don't see it, but I do, Princess. You are probably the first thing he thinks of before he does anything."

Katara swallowed hard, trying to keep her whole body from turning red. She raised her gaze above Lu Ten's shoulder to see Zuko near the middle of the room. She wondered if he was thinking of her right now.

"I feel," Katara found her voice after a moment, as wobbly as it may be, "That Prince Zuko wouldn't like you telling me that."

"Maybe not," Lu Ten agreed, shrugging casually, "But alas, it's what family does." He was wearing a mischievous grin. "Besides, I thought you should know, in no uncertain terms."

"I…" Katara was about to say she'd already known, but had she? Aiga and the others had said what they'd seen, and it did match Lu Ten's words. However, she couldn't have believed any of them all too seriously, until this. She hadn't known. She hadn't known in the very concrete sense. Wasn't this what she wanted to find out tonight? If what she was feeling was shared by him too? She could wave away Lu Ten's words as just observations like the others, but somehow, she trusted that Lu Ten knew exactly what he was talking about.

The song ended and Lu Ten bowed, kissing Katara's hand. "It was a pleasure to dance with you."

Aiga was waving Katara over to a table where she had some food and a drink already waiting for her. Kilee and On Ji were also sitting at the table. Katara was a little relieved to see On Ji wearing a soft spring green, and not blue. Kilee was wearing the color, but since she was Water Tribe, it was excusable.

"I should be so angry at you," Kilee sighed dramatically. "Here I thought my blue would stand out, but nooooo." She seemed very well aware of the problems about it.

"At least you're wearing teal," On Ji said, "Not sea blue."

"Still," Kilee pouted.

"Prince Lu Ten seemed to have a lot to talk with you about," Aiga said, pulling out her chair for her. Katara noticed the other two girl's handmaids standing by, quietly chatting with one another.

"It was just about my tribe," Katara lied.

"I'm surprised Prince Zuko hasn't danced with you yet," On Ji mused as Katara dug into her food. "I mean, not just because he didn't get a chance because you got sick last time, but because he likes you so much." On Ji seemed genuinely happy for her.

Katara didn't get upset about the comment, quietly laughing to herself. She just shrugged to the other girls. Maybe it would be best if she didn't dance with Zuko for a variety of reasons, which fell between not being able to dance to being so close to him.

"He hasn't danced with much of anyone yet," Aiga assured Katara, patting her shoulder.

"He danced with Mai," Kilee interjected. Katara swallowed back jealousy.

"That's just because Mai's father grabbed them and insisted." Aiga sent a nasty look to Kilee.

"I was going to add that he didn't look happy about it." Kilee lifted her foot to show a large, nasty looking blister. "I've been sitting here since the ball began, not fun. But anyway, I've watched him. He's trying to make his way to you, but every two feet he gets stopped by some stuffy old dude or another," she said. Katara turned her head to see Zuko ending a conversation with a war general, and sure enough he started walking toward her. Not three steps forward, though, another guest intercepted his path. She saw the frustration on Zuko's face, well controlled, but still present. He looked up, locking eyes with Katara, and there was a moment in which they both shared a look of recognition, one that showed that Katara knew he was trying to get to her. Zuko responded by giving her a tight-lipped smile.

He was wearing his military clothes tonight, vastly different from the heavy gilded robes he'd been wearing during the first ball. He looked entirely different, more dangerous, almost. The uniform was still far from what someone might actually wear to battle, since it was adorned with gems, gold leaf, and painted all around. It was a costume or ceremonial outfit, she realized, one not unlike her own warriors might wear.

And something about it was just incredibly sexy to her.

"Yeah, I like a man in uniform too." Kilee followed her gaze, using a tiny ornate fan to cool herself.

"Agreed!" On Ji giggled, hiccupping a little bit.

"How much champagne have you had?" Katara felt her motherly instincts kick in.

"A glass…or three," On Ji snickered. "It's my first time trying it!"

"Oh boy," Katara murmured under her breath. "Aiga, why don't you get her a glass of water?" she said, pulling her handmaid down so only Aiga heard it. Aiga took one look at On Ji, tapped On Ji's handmaid, and the pair slid into the crowd.

Katara was halfway between going up to ask Zuko to dance herself and making it harder for him to ask her, when a young Fire Nationer asked for her hand to dance. Katara ground her teeth, regrettably accepting it.

He was clearly far too occupied with her body, and if she thought she was a bad dancer, this dude was even worse. Katara was seriously considering 'accidentally' injuring herself, or him, just to detach from this awful dance.

Luckily, someone came to her rescue.

"If I may?" Aang paused them on the outskirts of the floor as the song changed tempos.

"Master Kuzon," The man regarded Aang for a moment, tempted to say no, before Aang stepped a bit between him and Katara. Katara gleefully accepted Aang's waiting hand, "Of course." The man bowed out, realizing Aang wasn't going to let him decline.

"Master?" Katara questioned.

"Yeah. Zuko mentioned that he put my name in some fancy family tree, so that I'm like twice removed or someone's great cousin's kid or something. Put shortly, I'm in the Royal Family Tree. And everyone has a title of some sort. Usually it's a military one, but Zuko made up some ailment to keep me from enlistment."

"Oh. Master Kuzon. Sounds fancy," Katara teased.

"Ah, whatever. I mean, 'Avatar' is a title too...but no one knows about it, 'cept you and Zuko and Toph. Anyway, you looked like you needed saving."

"Usually I can hold my own, at least when it comes to battles. In a dress like this I feel useless," Katara seethed. "But thank you, because I wasn't sure how to get that creep's claws off of me."

"If Zuko had seen, he might have burned his fingers off," Aang snorted.

"You having fun at all here?" Katara asked.

"More than last time. Some of the girls recognize me again and they're nice. Plus, I know Mai and Ty Lee. Well, Mai never liked me, but Ty Lee and I used to talk a bit."

"Mai doesn't like anyone," Katara said, "I wouldn't take it personally."

"She likes Azula and she likes Zuko," Aang replied absently. When he saw Katara's flinch, he winced. "Sorry."

"No, no. It's fine." Katara shook her head. She couldn't be so transparent. "But Ty Lee?"

"Yeah. She was just always...kind. It's a wonder to me that she would be hanging out with the likes of Azula. Mai, I think I sometimes saw something under there, but Azula?" Aang shivered.

"She's a real piece of work, isn't she?" Katara agreed dryly.

"I try to keep my distance from her." Aang narrowed his eyes. "I don't trust her. I don't think Ty Lee fully does either. I was sort of glad when she entered the Choice. This competition may give her a way to get away from Azula and Mai. Make nicer friends."

"She's nice to everyone. Lots of people know about her reputation of being in that group, though."

"Can you look out for her?" Aang asked. Katara was about to tell him that Ty Lee hardly needed looking after, but Aang kept talking. "She always stuck up for me when I was forced to hang around Azula and all, so I just feel like she should have it repaid back. Please, Katara?" he asked, his eyes big and liquid.

"I'll try my best," Katara agreed after a long moment. Aang was so passive that anyone he liked so much couldn't be bad. He also seemed to have a good handle on understanding people's true selves, and she wanted to believe him. "I promise."

Aang seemed to relax a little.

"Have much of a chance to bend again?" Katara asked. She was desperately curious about airbending.

"Not as much as I'd like." Aang pulled a face. "After you caught me, I realized Zuko was right. I need to stay low, so…" He gave a sad shrug.

"It's just because you're at the palace, though. You could go outside of it to bend," Katara pointed out.

"The safest place for me is here. At least until I'm better at the other elements, too. I'm getting better at fire!" His face brightened.

"I'd love to put that to the test. Sparring, sometime," Katara clarified. Aang nodded enthusiastically.

"I'm a pacifist, but I do like sparring. Gotta stay alert, on the best version of yourself." He laughed. "I sound like Zuko."

"Zuko sounds smart." Katara shrugged. "One day, or the next time Zuko takes me to the arena, I'll mention I want to fight you too."

"And intrude on your date?" Aang sounded unsure.

"It's not a date," Katara said, but in her heart she realized that she wasn't sure if she meant it. Time alone with Zuko, even if they were sparring, meant something different now.

"Hey, if you stick around, eventually we'll have time. I'm not taking it personally," Aang assured her.

The song ended. Katara nodded. She turned to get a drink, but found herself face to face with the Crown Princess herself, Azula.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will def be out on time.
> 
> Sorry again for taking a couple extra days, but, I hope you enjoy the shit that's going down in this chapter (and just know there's still so much more to come!)
> 
> Also, EiraoftheNorth, you've reached a drabble, so if you're interested in redeeming, go check the first chapter of the fanfic 'Karios' on here!


	19. Chapter 19

"Princess Azula." Aang's eyes narrowed and he moved, almost protectively, in front of Katara. She wondered if his years living here had taught him how to deal with her?

"Princess Katara." Azula didn't even look at Aang. "Shall we?" she said, forcefully taking Katara's hand to the dance floor. Girls did dance with girls, that wasn't anything strange - in fact, Yue and Saoirse were dancing this one together as friends, laughing and having a good time. It was strange, however, for the princess of the Fire Nation to be asking Katara.

Across the room, Zuko saw and almost leapt toward Katara. Azula saw his motion and scoffed.

"What does he think I'm going to do? Kill you in the middle of the dance floor?" She rolled her eyes. "He wears his heart on his sleeve entirely too much. To show one's weakness can be such a danger for them."

"Your threats are growing tiresome, Princess Azula," Katara, on the inside, was terrified. But she wasn't going to let Azula see that, "To both me and him."

"Somehow, I doubt that," Azula said, holding up Katara's quivering hand. "But, this is a festive time. I'm not looking to stage a coup tonight," she said, as though she'd considered it at one point, "You and Master Kuzon seemed cozy?"

"Me and him?" Katara almost recoiled. "What? No. He's just a friend. Looking for ways to get rid of me, hmm?" Katara raised an eyebrow.

"Well, you can't blame a girl. I just want what's best for my older brother. I hear you have an older brother, too. Wouldn't you do anything for him?" Azula asked, tilting her head.

"What's best for him, yeah. Somehow, I doubt that's what you want for Prince Zuko," Katara replied back, wincing as Azula's fingernails dug into her skin as they swirled in the circles this dance required. It was a dizzying dance; maybe Azula had wanted that.

"I'm just looking after him, trying to suss out the competitors." Azula's eyes widened innocently. "Pluck the weak from the meek, to the real contendors."

"You'd like a meek girl. Someone you can manipulate," Katara said.

"On the contrary, too meek and it's just pitiful. Blubbering messes, like that girl, the mousy one...Sara? Sigh?"

"Saya?" Katara frowned. "What did you do to her?" she demanded, clenching her teeth. God, how she truly abhorred Azula.

"I've never seen a girl cry so fast," Azula continued, "And I didn't do much. There's a certain fire to this competition." Katara winced as Azula's palm clenched around hers grew extremely hot. "And if you can't stand it? You shouldn't be here," she said. It was now burning, like Katara was sticking her hand on hot coals. Katara resisted the urge to cry, blinking back tears. It hurt so badly, but Katara held her ground.

Using her free thumb, she crept her water around Azula's hands, freezing them. Katara flexed her knuckles, making a bracelet perfectly molded to her wrist. She hoped it was was as freezing cold. She also had the ring sharp and the more she flexed, the more it began to dig into Azula's wrists, leaving little red circles of blood mixing with the ice water. The gauntlet crept up on Azula's hand like a glove, but drew blood at any point Katara could make it. Katara would have been more than thrilled to freeze Azula's hand off. Azula watched it with a interest that Katara hadn't seen her exhibit yet.

"Touche." Azula's eyebrow raised and she lessened the heat on Katara's hands. She waited for Katara to do the same. Katara gave a bark of laughter.

"You hardly play fair, why should I?" Katara asked. She was not for a second going to give Azula a truce, not when she knew the girl would just as quickly turn and stab her in the back with it.

"Oh, Princess," Azula gave a long, impatient sigh, "Why do you have to be so likable? So like me?"

Katara felt sick that she was likened to Azula at all.

"You make it hard for me to want to get rid of you. But, alas, my feelings will mend," Azula said.

"Not even hiding it, hmm?" Katara asked, hardly surprised. She'd pretty much publicly declared herself an enemy to her brother.

"You're smart enough to have known this already," Azula shrugged. "Why continue pretending otherwise? Princess Katara, had you arrived here when we were young girls, perhaps I would have accepted you into my group, like Mai or Ty Lee. I could have used someone like you."

"Used. Not been friends with, used," Katara repeated, mostly to herself in shock.

"I have no need for friends." Azula shook her head. "I do have a use for loyal followers," she corrected. "Until next time." She bowed to Katara.

She un-clenched her hand, burning away the ice and flicking the water mixed with her blood onto the floor. Katara opened her palm to see the skin of her hands blackened and burned badly.

She bit her lip hard, closing her hands and walking swiftly through the crowds to the bathroom. Aiga bounded behind her.

"That viper!" Aiga gasped as Katara opened them in front of a water bin. Katara hadn't realized Aiga had followed her.

"Yeah, but what can I do? She's not a contestant. She's Ozai's favorite and a dangerous person. I just need to have my wits whenever she's around," Katara sighed in resignation.

"Maybe once you and Zuko marry you can ship her off to the ends of the earth as a bargaining chip, a betrothal to some poor soul or something," Aiga suggested dryly. Katara laughed out loud.

"Oh, spirits, I wish."

She began to run healing water over her palms, but with both of them burned, it hurt a lot and didn't seem to be doing much.

"Aiga, can you find Eva?" Katara asked.

Eva came, followed by Yue and Toph.

"That bitch," Toph snarled. "She's just the literal worst person I've ever met. She makes Nadhari seem like a fluffy kitten."

"No one is more dangerous than someone who's about to lose it all," Yue agreed gravely.

Eva took one of Katara's hands, turning it up and began to carefully heal it.

"These are deep burns. How did you manage to keep a straight face?" Eva asked, face darkening. "I'm not sure how much I can do to heal them."

"Well, I hurt her back," Katara muttered.

"I hope you won't get in trouble for it. Azula could twist it, saying you attacked her," Yue pointed out.

"I'll pound her if she tries! If Katara goes down, I do too." Toph crossed her arms. Katara had the thought, as she'd been cutting Azula, that it might have been a bad idea. However, she thought about what she'd do; she probably wouldn't run for her father to tattle on her. And if Azula was the same as Katara, and Katara knew she was more well-versed in dangerous games like this, Azula would sit on this. She wouldn't turn Katara over to make her leave. She'd make Katara leave by herself.

But Katara was a strong person; her blackened hands proved that. She would take whatever Azula threw at her, even if the thought made her feel nauseated.

Katara leaned back onto the table, letting Eva continue healing her hands. Back and forth, Eva drew the water over the burns. There was the familiar pressure of healing water, which usually didn't hurt. This time, it felt like Eva was dragging stones over her burns, peeling them off, flake by flake.

Katara's toes curled in her slippers.

"I'm gunna get you some liquid pain meds," Toph announced, looking down at Katara's feet. "Be right back."

"She doesn't mean actual medicine, does she?" Yue guessed.

"Not if we know Toph," Katara snorted. Indeed, Toph returned with a shot for all of them.

"In solidarity for Sugar Queen here," Toph tried to goad them into it. Katara's was a double. Eva and Yue looked at each other, shrugged, and downed theirs. Toph slammed her empty glass down.

"That's what I'm talkin' about!" she said, "Why let a little - okay a big - burn ruin a great night to party?"

Yue cracked a grin.

Katara smiled too.

About half an hour later, a man partially opened the door.

"Dude, this is a ladies' room!" Toph said, closing the metal door with a movement of her hand.

"Ahh, I'm so sorry, are Lady Bei Fong, Princess Yue, Princess Katara and Lady Eva in there?" he asked.

"Yes?" Aiga answered for them.

"Oh, well, it's just about time for the announcement and you must get to your seats."

"We're sorta busy," Toph said. "Come back never."

"You do have to be there," Aiga turned apologetically.

"Hey, we can keep doing this later," Eva offered. "But...it's bad. I dunno if I can fix it tonight, or fully at all. I mean, I can probably keep taking layers off, but you'll always be burned there."

Katara gave a careful flex of her hands, "I can move them at least now, feel things. Better than before."

"I did take the first layer off. It's going to be really raw and sore, though," Eva warned.

"Here." Yue went into the bow in her hair and untangled the ribbon, letting her white tresses pool around her shoulders. She ripped it in half and carefully wrapped them around Katara's hands, "This should help a bit," she said.

"Thanks, everyone." Katara gave a long sigh. "And I'll be fine for the rest of tonight. I don't want to take any of you away from this dance longer than I have to."

"I have no problem not going to the dance," Toph shrugged.

"But they might have been enjoying it," Katara pointed out. "And you guys should have fun," she insisted.

"We can decide this after." Yue put a comforting hand on Katara's shoulder, "Shall we?"

Back in the ballroom, the guests were settling themselves in the back corner, where an array of chairs and a small stage had been set up. The girls of the competition were on one side, away from the rest of the audience, but not in the center of attention, for once. Their seats were assigned in order of the rankings, so Katara was right up in front. Next to Nadhari. Joy of joys. When did they re-take that poll, Katara wondered, because Nadhari still couldn't be that close, could she? Katara knew that Lu Ten was probably right when he said that the top four just swam around each other, with number one staying pretty static. So, Katara would even take Mai as number two, because at least Mai had never done anything to Katara. Mai didn't seem to have enough interest in Katara to do anything to her.

Zuko walked up onto the platform, setting his horned war helmet on a table. Katara could see how nervous he was. He reminded her of Sokka whenever he had to stand up to give a strategy presentation. Zuko's eyes flickered toward her. She had faith that what he was going to say was going to be something good, so she gave him a tiny, almost unnoticeable thumbs up.

This seemed to calm Zuko.

"As you know, each generation, it seems that each Fire Lord takes on a different section of our world that needs some extra attention. My father overhauled and created the formidable military that we have today, making the Fire Nation one of the strongest forces in the world." He let the crowd - some of them - cheer at his words before he continued.

"But, the world isn't just made up of the Fire Nation, far from it, in fact. I think most of us can agree we've seen a surplus of foot traffic of Earth Kingdomers coming through our way, including more Earth diplomats than ever before. We have also seen a Water Tribe diplomat, which would have been unheard of even ten years ago, and for the first time since my grandfather's Choice, we have a Southern Water Tribe contestant."

All eyes turned to Katara and she swallowed thickly, wishing he hadn't brought her up so obviously. However, most people were nodding and didn't seem against it, even if he hadn't said much at all yet.

"So, perhaps we should start looking at the Fire Nation not as an individual strong house, but as a part of multiple other groups. With this advent of new people – with even some our own choosing to live in Earth Kingdom territories – why shouldn't we open up pathways between cultures? I have decided that during my reign, I will oversee diplomatic relations with other nations. I will start by e-designing the currently very under-regulated trade paths with the other nations…" He paused, and while he only glanced at Katara for a millisecond, she knew the next words were for her. "…even the Southern Water Tribe."

Katara felt her heart thump fast. He was careful with his speech, never saying directly what they were going to do for the other tribes, but instead showing all the things they could gain from having a healthy trade system - all the items from the South that they weren't utilizing like they could be, if they merely gave the South what it was owed for them. He pointed out that trade items across all nations would be better received if people were getting fairer compensations.

Katara looked at Ozai. He was pretty unreadable, but he wasn't cutting Zuko down, so that was a good thing. Besides, Zuko was clearly catering to stroking his ego by talking about the 'betterment of the Fire Nation,' which she was sure was going a long way.

But, all Katara heard was that her people were finally going to get food in return, and that the strict rules they were under before, the ones that had been starving friends and family, were going to be lifted.

Katara could have cried she was so happy. Her throat tightened and she had to sniff back her tears. Behind her, Saoirse squeezed her shoulder, a sign that she understood what a big deal this was for Katara. It was a big deal for Saoirse's tribe too, but no one would be benefiting as much as the South, no matter how Zuko framed it.

The crowd stood up to applaud Zuko when he finished. It was very well received, as far as Katara could tell, but then again, he'd made a good argument as to why the Fire Nation would like this plan, and there were a great number of Earth representatives in the crowd. Katara noticed that the smiles on their faces matched hers. Behind Zuko, where the Royal Family sat, Iroh and Lu Ten seemed to let out sighs of relief and send glances each other's way. Ursa was standing up and applauding too. Ozai was doing so less enthusiastically, but even he was nodding with somewhat pride? Only Azula looked completely angry. She probably hoped Zuko's plan would flop.

"And now, after a breaking plan," Ozai came down to stand next to his son, "We will be having interviews with the ladies of the Choice. I know you all are dying to continue to meet them."

Katara rolled her eyes. They could never get away from being in this darn competition, huh?

The man who had summoned them from the bathroom would be asking the questions. They went in order from the last in line to the first, meaning Katara knew she'd be in for a very long wait.

Some of the girls were clearly trying to use their good looks to advance, since the crowd here might be part of the poll to move their positions up. In a moment when Ratana tried to show some cleavage and nearly stumbled off the stool, Katara caught Suki's face - a face of someone trying desperately not to laugh - and it nearly sent Katara off too.

"Rookie mistake," Nadhari clicked her tongue beside Katara.

Other girls, now that they were in front of such a large crowd - hundreds, at least - seemed to fold in on themselves. Saya forgot what she was saying two or three times, and Maiha's voice was so quiet nearly no one could hear her. Katara wondered if there was an ulterior motive to this, to see who could speak well in public? It was, after all, an important part of being the Fire Lady. She knew Ozai and others were making their decisions.

Some girls were poised but not exciting, like Saoirse. Toph and Suki both were entertaining, at least, in different ways.

There seemed to be a standard set of questions, so pretty much everyone was on the same level and no one was getting an unfairly difficult or shocking question. They were: 'What do you think of the Prince?', 'What's your favorite thing about the palace?', 'Has the Prince kissed you yet?', and 'What's one skill you have that the public doesn't know?' Pretty much everyone said they liked the Prince, with some variation - with people like Nadhari being obviously dirty about it, while innocent On Ji just thought he was 'so nice'. Bahiravi said something like 'he has a quietly creeping power' which just sounded creepy and weird.

A lot of answers about the palace were about the rooms or the food or the dresses. No one, it seemed, had gotten a kiss from the prince. At around the eighth person, the announcer turned.

"Prince Zuko, who knew you were so shy!"

Zuko didn't really have an answer, he just sort of blushed and reddened as the crowd laughed. It seemed to be in good fun, though. Secretly, Katara was glad to know he hasn't kissed anyone here yet. She had wondered, but she hadn't wanted to ask. However, she also thought she'd know if he had.

After around the twelfth 'no' to the kiss question, the announcer sort of dropped it, perhaps realizing he wasn't going to get a juicy answer. No matter, the last question turned out to be the best one. The skills, those were the most fun. There were things that even Katara hadn't known!

Toph announced her metal bending. The announcer scoffed.

"You can't bend metal, no one can," he said dismissively.

"I can!" Toph stood up and scrunched the metal stool into a ball. "You saw it here first! Toph Bei Fong invented metal bending!"

The crowd was speechless, while Zuko was biting his fist to keep from laughing out loud. Some of the girls whistled as Toph un-squished it back to an almost perfect stool.

"Didn't want anyone taking claim on it first," Toph told Katara later when she inquired to why then and now.

Some of the other highlights included Ty Lee contorting herself into a position that Katara was sure proved she had no bones in her body, Besu singing- and she was pretty darn good at it, and Alcina doing sleight of hand tricks.

Katara was so interested to hear everyone's fact that it actually seemed like no time at all before her own interview.

She gathered her dress in her hands, going to the stage. She wasn't as nervous as she thought she should be, now that she was here 'for real' in a sense. Maybe it was because the crowd looked so eager. All the other girls had to show why they should be here, but Katara knew that most - if not all - of the crowd was pretty much rooting for her, or at least wanted her in the top five. She had no one to prove anything to.

"Princess Katara...oh, well I think this is the girl we've all been waiting for, yes?" he asked, turning to face the crowd. Katara could feel the vibrations of their clapping, and that did make her feel wanted, made her feel good. "I don't think anyone expected a Water Tribe girl to get to the top, did you think you would?" he asked, diverting from the usual formula. She wondered if this was a test too, if he'd been told to do this.

Katara had been prepared for anything though, especially something like this.

"Well, I had to, otherwise why would I be here?" Katara pointed out.

"So you wouldn't say that you being the only Southern Water Tribe girl here hurts your chances?"

"No! I think they only help," The words sprung out. "I don't think I'm better because of it, but I like to think we all have an equal chance here. You never know what the Prince is looking for." Katara saved herself quickly. Some people were nodding. They clearly liked a humble contestant, which was vastly different than how Nadhari had sounded in her interview.

"So, what's your favorite thing about the palace?"

"I really couldn't even pick one! But, on behalf of my brother, the food." Katara laughed, smiling to herself.

"Your brother likes to eat, then?"

"You have no idea." Katara let herself think of him. "If he were here, the buffet would be picked clean!" There was some laughter from the crowd.

"Of course, of course. And, what's your secret skill?" he asked. "Besides waterbending, since we all know about that!"

Katara realized she hadn't a moment to really think about it. She hadn't even been tempted to say waterbending, since it wasn't a secret and it was so much more than just a 'skill'. She thought of her role in her tribe. If this was a test of a Fire Lady, she was going to prove she had the skills to live at the palace, just for those naysayers.

"Actually, I love politics," she said. "I guess that's not a skill, but in that, I'm the one at home who organizes groups of people and helps lead expeditions. I'm a people person. People are usually surprised to hear this."

"A skill that could translate very well as the Fire Lady," the announcer said. Katara tilted her head.

"Really? I hadn't thought of that," she played innocent.

"Last question, what do you think of the prince?"

From out of the corner of her eyes, Katara saw Zuko stiffen and look up, eyes focused on her. Everyone's eyes were completely on her. She opened her mouth, pausing.

"Zuko is...nice, just like everyone's said. I don't think I could sum him up better than what everyone else has collectively put together," she said, deciding to play it safe. The announcer was practically smirking and Zuko was red in the face, but she didn't know why.

"So, it seems you and Zuko may be closer than we thought, eh?"

Katara felt her eyes widen. She'd called him just Zuko, no price title attached to it. If she knew anything about Palace life, it was a major faux pas. More than that, it did let on about how close they were, since pretty much all the girls still called him Prince Zuko when they were on dates with him, and have called him so on the stage. It was so informal, something that at this point, Katara was pretty sure they weren't supposed to be at. It gave all the wrong ideas, she realized.

Zuko was stiff like she'd frozen him to the ground. He looked like he wasn't even breathing. She hoped he wasn't mad since that was the one thing he'd warned her about.

"A slip-up," Katara tried to laugh it off, "I mean, I am the number one, so we do talk but…" She shrugged. "It was a simple mistake."

"Oh, I think it was more than that." The announcer patted her knee, "But, rest assured, I think we all find it adorable, don't we?"

Luckily, the crowd seemed to agree. Katara let out a large breath, breathing a bit easier now. She was still incredibly embarrassed.

After this, the public speaking part was done, and Ozai invited everyone to return to the festivities, saying that desserts would be arriving shortly. As the crowd began to break up and the band started playing again, Katara just rubbed her face. Some of the girls were giving her wary, almost nasty looks, while Toph was grinning wide. Even Toph had known to call him by his title.

"Don't say anything," Katara warned.

She shouldn't have looked, but she couldn't help finding Zuko. He was nodding to people, shaking hands with various leaders who were congratulating him. He saw Katara, he met her eyes, and that seemed to be the last straw for him.

"I'm willing to discuss this afterward, but right now I would like to dance with Princess Katara." His voice, his command, seemed to carry across the whole ballroom, and the crowd literally parted for the pair. Any other groups that were on the dance floor floated to the edges, leaving the whole area empty for them.

"I don't know if this is a good idea. I'm an awful dancer." Katara bit her lips, realizing everyone was watching them.

"I know. I was warned by Toph, and Lu Ten, and Zhi." Zuko was quiet, smiling at her. "But, I'm willing to take those risks," he teased. When Katara didn't answer, he pulled her close. "Just let me lead. If you can manage, Katara."

Something about Zuko whispering her name, no title, made her melt. She was still so embarrassed about the whole thing with his name that she was able to let Zuko lead her. His hand was warm, though not like Azula's had been. His was like a heart. He noticed the ribbons, but Katara shook her head, a motion to not talk about it here or now.

She looked up at him, wondering if he could feel her heart, if he knew how this was making her feel. How fast she was falling in love-

She blinked, biting her lip.

There wasn't much time for talking, not like the other dances she'd had. The room was pretty silent, except for the band, and everyone was watching them, so people would undoubtedly hear bits of the conversation. And, if they whispered in each other's ears, she could just imagine the rumors that would pop up. No, they couldn't talk much. And maybe it was for the best. Katara was still trying to come up with an apology for saying his name like that.

She had the thought that this dance, where no one else was dancing but them, almost felt like a wedding dance. For just the tiniest second, she let herself imagine it was.

"What do you really think of me?" Zuko asked. "None of that safe answer crap," he added, snorting. Katara thought about lying, but looking at him, she didn't know how she could have.

"You are, without a doubt, the best representation of a good person I've ever met. You are going to be the best Fire Lord this country has seen in a very long time. You are kind and fair, and not at all what I thought you'd be, and being your friend has been so worth it all. You're smart too, and you will make a difference to this world, and I'm glad I get to see part of it. Whoever you marry is going to be so lucky. Wherever I end up, I'll be honored if I get to stay your friend." Katara whispered so quietly that he had to duck his head low to hear it.

"Wow," Zuko chuckled, almost incredulously. "You don't have to...no one's…" Katara realized he thought it was to play her cover.

"Zuko," Katara said firmly, "It's not a lie. None of it." That's really all she could manage. She had forgotten, even, that a crowd stood behind her. "That's for you, no one else's ears," she added, which was an admission all in itself.

"Oh," Zuko whispered, a sort of understanding in his voice, his temple brushing hers. "Thank you," he added, just as the song was ending. As he stood away from her and the band picked up a more lively-paced song, he adjusted his top pin very deliberately.

Katara knew what it was; he was asking to meet her tonight, after this.

There had been so much unsaid and they both acknowledged this.

Katara touched her necklace in return.

She felt it in her bones, although she couldn't explain it, the feeling of something like a storm brewing in that unspoken space between them. The storm that began to crackle and steam as they parted ways and Zuko sent one last adoring, absolutely smitten smile Katara's way.

And Katara sent one back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know that scene in Pride and Prejudice? When Darcy and Lizzie dance together and the whole room just falls away? Yeah, that's what I sort of imagined this dance to be.
> 
> Anyway, if you can't already tell, it's bubbling to something HUGE. And next chapter will probs be what many of you have been waiting for. But, that's all I will say on the matter ;)


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. The chapter I think you've all been waiting for.

Much to Katara's own surprise, she ended up enjoying the rest of the party. She had thought that this entire night would be filled with anxiety and unease. Perhaps it would have been, had Zuko not danced with her.

There was something freeing about the dance, afterwards. Some part of her that was able to let herself enjoy this wildly opulent party with all the glorious food and drinks and with all the people she now called friends.

It was because she knew something: something was going to break tonight. It was going to be the end of it, the end of this little 'game' she'd been playing with Zuko, playing with herself. It was going to be the end of pretending that she was here just for her own selfish reasons. It was going to be the end of Katara's fight - the fight that she'd been having with herself about the way she was ever so quickly falling for the prince.

She may even call this night a beginning, but that didn't seem apt to her. It wasn't a beginning as much as it was a natural jump from one part to the next. To say it would be a beginning would be to say, in her mind, that this came from nowhere. That it would be as though she was just now entering this competition for real, without counting anything that had happened before. But, that wasn't true. She would never enter this competition with her heart open, she couldn't imagine a possibility where an alternative self would do that. Her heart had needed to be coaxed open.

And this? It felt fairly inevitable to Katara, and if she'd been paying enough attention, she may have felt it from the moment she knocked Zuko off the roof.

Something was going to come to its apex tonight. She wasn't sure to what extent it would be, but something was going to happen that would be irreversible.

She didn't think it would be the 'L-word' from either of them. She'd be rather shocked if it was. Still, she didn't think it would just be both of them sitting there, twiddling their thumbs and talking about the weather.

But Katara wasn't going to wax poetic about this all night, which surprised even her. Some part of her brain just said, 'fuck it, I'm done' and she couldn't have bribed her mind into overthinking this if she wanted to.

So, Katara took advantage of this rare moment where her brain took a vacation to be able to dance with her friends.

Many people noticed her wrapped fingers, but Katara just brushed it off, forging an excuse that got wilder and wilder each time. Aiga was in stitches about it the whole night - "Next ball all the girls will be wearing ribbon gloves!" she said, which was probably true - until Katara commanded her to leave her the heck alone and go find her boyfriend.

Katara found herself not looking for the Prince as much as she had been before. A part of her body felt settled; she didn't have to fear a lack of emotions from him. Their dance, the way his fingers had brushed along the edge of her neck, down her back, and on her arms, and the softness of his tone had very concretely assured Katara of his emotions. Besides, now that he'd had his one personal request, the streams of people who still wanted to tell him this or talk to him about that seemed never ending. Katara crossed paths with him once or twice, only to see him holding back sighs and trying very desperately to sound interested in cabbage-sustaining practices in the Earth Kingdom.

While many of her friends danced with this person or that - men asking beautiful and very off-limit ladies for just a moment of enjoyment - no one else approached Katara. It was as though Zuko's dancing with her had claimed her. Usually, Katara would have very vocally objected to being 'claimed' but tonight she was pleased, since she was pretty sure Zhi wouldn't approve of her breaking some toes.

It seemed like the night drew to a close much quicker than the last time. Katara was equally excited and minorly dreading the rest of the night, but only dreading in the sense that she was so hoping it would be what she imagined, and she wondered if she could possibly be let down. Yet, whenever she closed her eyes and saw that last fleeting smile Zuko had given her, she couldn't help but think she was just being silly.

"Katara, the party is nearly done. We've been given the okay to return. Shall we?" Aiga tapped her shoulder.

"Don't you want to spend more time with your boyfriend?" Katara asked, frowning. The party was dwindling, true, but she wasn't going to take Aiga away until she was satisfied.

"He has to oversee the people leaving the palace, so he'll be tied up the rest of the night," Aiga assured. "Besides, it's been a long night." She tapped the back of Katara's hands, "Do they hurt?"

"They itch, a lot, but I can't really feel much." Katara recalled Zuko telling her once that his scar itched on his face all the time, and she now understood. "And sometimes I'll brush it strange but it's just sort of numbed out by now."

She grabbed one last tea-cake from the table before letting Aiga walk with her.

Some of the other girls had already gone back with their handmaids. The halls of the castle were fairly busy, what with half the people leaving and half the people retiring to their rooms, and for one of the first times, Katara got a taste of what the everyday palace may feel like.

As they were walking back, a shadow loomed across the hall. Aiga quickly curtsied low, tugging Katara down. She did what Aiga did without thinking, and when she looked up she saw Fire Lord Ozai in front of them. He seemed to have been walking, but now paused.

Ah-freaking-mazing.

To be honest, Katara felt like she could only deal with Azula or Ozai once every couple of days. The effort of talking to both of them tonight was already tiring her, and Ozai hadn't said a thing.

"May I escort you back?" he asked. Katara was very tempted to snap at him, but Aiga nodded for Katara. Probably better. "Why don't you go and get Princess Katara another piece of cake. She should enjoy herself, hmm?" He directed his question to Aiga. Katara sent her desperate eyes not to leave since Katara wasn't sure what she'd say in front of Zuko's father - never having to talk to him alone - but Aiga gave her apologetic eyes. Katara understood she couldn't disobey what was clearly an order, as veiled as it was.

"Thank you," Katara forced herself to say, but she wasn't sure what she was thanking him for. That he was allowing her another luxury snack? That he was offering to walk her back? That he wasn't killing her right on the spot?

"I hadn't planned on speaking with you tonight, but spirits have put me in your path anyway."

Same, buddy. So let's just not and say we did, huh?

"Is there something on your mind?" Katara did her best to not sound too petulant.

"We did another round of voting on the girls, and while this group does not speak for the entire population we ask, it is a good indicator," he said, frowning at her. "And you…"

"I'm number one again?" Katara guessed, as she couldn't figure out what would bring him such a darkened face other than this.

"I suppose we aren't getting rid of you anytime soon?" he said smoothly, and Katara could acknowledge that if he hadn't been saying it so wickedly, if it had been a genuine tease, Zuko's father was handsome. Zuko looked like his father, after all, so that didn't surprise Katara. In that moment, she got a taste of what Ursa may have seen in him so many years ago. If he could have just masked his personality, played his cards right - like Azula did - he would have almost been charming.

"Nope." Katara had reached her quota of playing this silly mind games with the Royal Family.

She half expected a reprimand for her tone, or even a slap or a physical assault, since she wouldn't put anything past Ozai, but instead he laughed.

"No, a girl like you, perhaps I should have expected it." He didn't touch her, but his presence led her down the halls none the less. "When the first poll came out, I thought it was a mistake. I thought you would be quickly discarded like most new and shiny things, and that the people would return to the dependable ones, like Mai. However…"

"Well, the people have spoken." Katara shrugged.

"You couldn't be encouraged to, ah, bow out quietly?" he asked. Katara shook her head firmly. In this moment, she was glad she hadn't left. She now wanted to do the opposite of Ozai's hopes, and while staying around for Zuko was her main concern, to watch Ozai struggle with her being here was pretty cool too.

"Pity. Oh, look, we've arrived," he said, motioning to the doors to her rooms across the hall. It hadn't been a far walk he'd taken her on again, and while it may seem like nothing much was said, Katara knew with a fact Ozai did not like her now. Well, she had been pretty sure before…

Perhaps knowing that both Azula and Ozai were protesting her here should have terrified her. Maybe if this had come up a week or two ago it would have. But, she knew that Zuko would protect her to the best of his ability and that she wasn't helpless either. The combination of them together had to be unstoppable, right?

Some of the girls who had seen Ozai drop her off were gawking.

"What did the Fire Lord want?" Alcina narrowed her eyes distrustfully; not that she was thinking Katara was working out a deal behind their backs, but because most girls had a knee-jerk negative reaction to Ozai.

"Nothing good," Katara grumbled, too tired to pretend like they'd been having a cute little chat.

"He just makes me shiver!" Jin bit her lip hard, "You okay?"

"Even I wouldn't want to get within ten feet of him." June gave a slow shake of her head.

"Fine. He was saying a lot of things. I just didn't listen." Katara downplayed it, because in truth, they didn't need to know.

"That dance you had with the Prince tonight was so beautiful." Alcina patted Katara's shoulder. "If I wasn't trying to also win his heart, I'd be rooting for you."

"I'm rooting for you a little anyway," Jin admitted. "I mean to say, if you won I'd be glad."

"Thanks. The same goes for you two as well," Katara said. To be honest, the only people she wouldn't be happy for if they won were Nadhari, Bahiravi, and Mai. Toph winning would just be strange, but Katara wouldn't be upset.

Aiga was pacing in Katara's room.

"He didn't hurt you?" Aiga's question confirmed Katara thought that he might be capable of it.

"No. Well, he sort of threatened me, I think, but what's he going to do?" Katara knew that Zuko had the authority here, so short of forcing Zuko into it, he couldn't do much. She supposed he could threaten her family, but so far, that hadn't been done.

"I brought you these." Aiga fished around in her purse, "While I was getting you more cake, I also went to the healer's room." She handed a small tin to Katara. "Burn salve. It's useful to have in the palace. Plus gauze. I stole it…" Aiga's cheeks blushed and Katara couldn't imagine her stealing anything. "But I didn't think you'd want anyone other than your friends to know."

"I don't, so thank you." Katara began to unwrap her hands. She winced when she saw them, all bubbling and raw and gross looking. She would have to take Eva's offer up on continuing to fix them, at least until they were just leathery.

Katara rubbed the salve over her own hands, but Aiga helped her very securely fasten the gauze. The salve was cool and almost burned in an icy way upon Katara's now opened skin, but it was so soothing and very much needed.

"Can you still bend?" Aiga asked.

"I should be able to. I mean, it's not my hands specifically that bend, but it's more about my chi reaching out. My hands are just the easiest to control," Katara assured. "But, I might want to take a couple days off since I don't want to hurt anyone accidentally," she decided. She hadn't thought about it until Aiga brought it up.

"Thank spirits, I wondered if Azula's plan was to...incapacitate you."

Katara frowned; she hadn't considered this. But, it would make sense if Azula's plan was at least two sided: to intimidate and to weaken.

"Well, it didn't work," Katara announced, "So...she'll have to find someone else to terrorize."

"Shall I help you with your dress?" Aida asked, motioning to Katara's hands. Her finger mobility was pretty awful.

"Yes, thanks," Katara agreed. Katara went over to her chest of drawers and picked out a set of lounge wear, not a nightgown like they usually wore for sleep clothes. The change wasn't lost on Aida.

"Maybe I plan on staying up, writing to my brother," she pointed out.

Aiga hummed in agreement, but her face clearly showed something else. "Of course."

Katara frowned, carefully reading her. Did Aiga know that she often left her room at night to meet the prince? Well, she must suspect, Katara realized with a jolt, since she had already seen Katara sneaking out once. Was she protecting Katara on the regular?

Aiga saw her face and bowed. "Excuse me, I suppose where you go is none of my business. Even if it were with the prince, I should be rejoicing that."

Katara was unsure what to say. She could command Aiga to never speak of it, to not question Katara, but she didn't want to be that kind of person. But she didn't really want to confirm or talk with Aiga about it either.

"Let's just get this dress off." Katara decided to ignore it. She did trust Aiga and so she knew she wasn't going to be a threat, and therefore Katara was confident she could let this matter lie.

Aiga undid the dress enough so Katara could slide it off herself, and then stayed to help tie the back of Katara's casual skirt and top, something Katara could often mange, but her palms were too slippery and aching to do herself.

Katara realized that she wasn't sure she'd be able to climb things with these hands, and a flash of fear gripped her. Zuko surely meant the meeting place, since the gardens were so open and already there was a group of girls out there with the remainder of the cake and some sake having a good time.

"Katara," Aiga said suddenly, "I think that I may need you to confirm some of the outfits in my room for the upcoming days. I've been sewing them but I want to make sure they're properly fit."

"I'm sure it will be fine." Katara knit her eyebrows. "And if you need, you can bring them here."

"They're rather unsewn. It would be far easier for you to come to me. It's not far from the suites here, just up the corridor, past the kitchens…" Aiga trailed off with a small smile.

Understanding seeped through Katara's mind, slowly, and then all at once.

"Oh!" She stiffened. "You don't miss a damn thing, do you?" she asked, and Aiga gave a grin that was almost crafty.

"It's my job, miss," she pointed out. Katara wondered if anything actually stayed a secret in the palace, between what Aiga, Lu Ten, and Toph all knew. But Aiga was loyal to Katara and Zuko, not the Fire Lord, so Katara's secrets were safe. Lu Ten, she wasn't sure, but she wondered if he used secrets to protect his own. And Toph? Well, she knew when to keep her mouth shut, but she was pretty opportunistic.

Katara was tempted to ask exactly how she knew what she knew, worried others that may as well, but Aiga's soft face confirmed that all was well. Maybe Aiga was just an outstandingly good handmaiden with perception unlike others. No wonder Zuko liked her.

Aiga waited in Katara's room for midnight to draw near. She breezily told the guards their cover, and Katara nodded in firm agreement behind her. Aiga was so natural at acting, at deceiving, something Katara would not have guessed from looking at her. Or, perhaps it was that she so rarely did devious things that no one at the palace had any reason to suspect her of lying. Whatever the reason, Aiga very swiftly managed to get them past the doors of the ladies' area.

The halls were eerily quiet in comparison to the hours before, as though everyone had vanished. Then again, it had been a long exhausting day, and Katara doubted many people were still milling around.

Aiga left Katara near the kitchens. "Come find me when you're finished. My door is two hallways down, both left turns. The first left and then the third left. My door will be partially cracked and my light will be on. Repeat it."

"First left, third left." Katara said, blinking at her with gratitude, "Thank you." Katara wanted to say much more but Aiga patted her arm and left her there. Katara pushed open the door and was a little glad to see that Zuko was not yet there.

She paced, her stomach roaring. She almost felt sick with her nerves all jumping. She wondered if she could push this back, just for a day. But, the idea of waiting like this for a whole other day, which was all she could manage even if she did, was unbearable. No, better to just...settle things tonight.

When Zuko arrived, Katara was sitting on one of the low shelves, arms curled around her stomach. She only smiled when he arrived, too nervous to do anything else. She could feel her whole body shaking, and it wasn't because it was cold outside. She would speak if she could, but her throat was constricting and threatening to shove up those cakes.

"Hey," Zuko said, keeping a safe distance. She wondered if he was equally as shaken.

"Hi, Zuko," she whispered. As soon as she said his name, it was like the gates opened to the embarrassment she'd felt today. She wanted to barf now, thinking back to it. "I'm so sorry about tonight. That I said 'Zuko'."

"It was bound to happen. We're pretty casual with each other," Zuko assured.

"Yeah, but," Katara sighed, biting her lip, "I have to think it's not just that I screwed up and that I'm sure we won't hear the end of it for a while, but now everyone knows that we're…" She trailed off. Friends? Crushes? Falling for each other? She decided on, "Intimate."

"Most people should be thrilled, with you so high up there," Zuko pointed out. Which was true.

"Not your father…" Katara regretted it the moment that she said it.

"What did he do?" Zuko's face darkened.

"Nothing. I just saw his face." Katara decided not to tell Zuko about the run-in with his dad in the halls, merely because she didn't need him going off and fighting a battle for her she wasn't sure she needed to be fought yet. And Zuko would, if she told him. Ozai wouldn't do something so foolish as to openly kill her here, she was sure, and besides...Katara could handle herself.

"Are you sure?" Zuko asked. He reached out, pulling her wrist forward to see her bandages.

"That wasn't him," Katara assured. She had sort of hoped he would forget about seeing them. However, he was far too nice and cared for her too much to just drop it. He lifted the gauze a little, to see the kind of injury, and his whole face darkened.

"Azula," he whispered angrily. His face was murderous. "Don't try to deny it. This is one of her specialties," he said, his own hand closing over hers, surprisingly soft for his tone.

"Well, I got her back." Katara didn't withdraw her hand.

"It doesn't mean that I don't want to go and get even with her too." Zuko clenched a fist and she saw a trail of smoke rising. "I can't believe her!"

"I can." Katara's voice was dry. "But hey...your announcement, it was pretty cool." She tried to divert his attention. It seemed to work, but in an interesting way, seeing that he calmed down immediately and quieted.

"I mean, I just think it's a good idea. It really steps in the right direction, away from your dad's way of doing things," she continued.

"Katara," He looked at her carefully, head tilted, "You do know...it's all for you, right?"

Katara didn't process his statement until a moment later, and whatever words she was going to say caught harshly in her throat. She froze a little, staring at him.

"What...do you mean?" she asked.

"The night after you told me about how starving your people were, I was so angry. Angry at myself, angry at the palace, angry at just everything. And I wanted to release your people from the fear of being attacked again, because I'm not about that, this world domination. But I couldn't do that, I can't right now, not until I'm the Fire Lord. I went to my uncle, at least thinking I could start trading with your tribe...Katara, I didn't even think about the other groups until my uncle pointed out that my father would be suspicious of what I was doing." He laughed a little. "So he helped me refine it. Bury it, the real reason. I do think that it came out really good, and it will be a good thing, but when it comes down to it," he shrugged, "you and your people are what matter."

"Oh," Katara said, but her heart beat rose about 100 times.

"And, it would be a fair trade, you know? Since you've come here, you've made a celebrity of yourself, and people want things from the South. Beads, clothing, fur coats...but, uh, only if you guys want to trade that. I wouldn't want you to feel like you have to give away your culture to survive, either."

"I'm not sure." Katara furrowed her eyebrows, "That's not for me to decide," she pointed out.

Zuko nodded. "I figured. We're a ways away from putting my proposal into motion, but your people can pick a representative and I'll listen. We'll make this work, I promise, Katara. No one should have to go hungry, no children or elderly should have to die. You should never have to skip meals," he said firmly.

"I agree, and I don't know how to thank you." She stared at her hands. "I'm unused to feeling indebted, we're a proud people. But, not proud enough to choose death over this. And, if they resist, I'll vouch for you," she said.

"Well, you'll be able to voice your feelings when you're home, I guess," Zuko said.

Katara snapped her head up. "What do you mean? Are you sending me away?" She felt a part of her die.

"I couldn't, no!" Zuko looked distressed. "But, Katara, you don't have to stay here anymore. You came to feed your tribe, that's being taken care of with this. You're free to leave," he said, looking at the ground intently.

Katara felt her mouth go dry. In theory, he was right.

"But," her voice quivered, "I mean, you said it yourself, it may be a while before it begins." She swallowed back the idea of leaving, now.

Zuko raised his head, his eyes flashing. "Yes, that's right," he agreed evenly. He took a step toward her. She felt pulled toward him too, and she shortened the gap with another step.

"So it would be smart for me to stay," Katara whispered, "And, I will." She studied him, trying to decide between leaving it there or not.

"Ah, I'm glad," Zuko agreed, nodding as he mulled her words.

"Zuko, If I'm speaking frankly…" She didn't want him to think that's just it, the food. "My thoughts on the competition, they may have…changed," she said. Zuko, on the outside, hardly reacted. She wondered if he was purposely trying not to react outwardly, and from his stunned silence, she supposed she was correct. Somehow, the silence just made her blabber on. "For you. Because of you," she clarified.

She blinked and Zuko had crossed the space between them. She took a tiny step back, not out of fear, but out of exhilaration. They were close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off of him, warmer than usual if she were to make judgements, and it was just as electrically charged as all the moments before. Katara found herself in front of a shelving unit, inches between the wood planks and Zuko's body. Zuko's whole body quivered like he was trying to keep himself in this exact spot, without moving.

She looked up to see his face close to hers. Close enough to kiss her.

And that's exactly what he did.

But that's not what Katara registered, not at first anyway. It was only after the fact that she had the belated though of 'oh god, oh god he's kissing me'. What happened first, the moment after she had the thought of how close he was, was that she heard a crack and a swear word escape him. Then she saw blood, and then her brain caught up to what he'd been doing. A moment later, her brain caught up to what had happened.

Katara, shocked by the kiss for unknown reasons, since she couldn't have imagined them leaving without something physical like this, had jolted up and broken his nose.

"I'm so sorry!" she gasped, covering her mouth, "Oh, spirits, oh shit."

"You're just a danger to my health, aren't you?" Zuko's laugh was muffled through his hand and he was still dripping blood on the floor.

"Spirits, I am." It would be one thing if she had just knocked him off a roof or just given him a nosebleed, but the combination of the two made her feel like a huge idiot. "You're laughing. I just broke your nose and you're laughing. Let me fix that," she winced.

She uncorked her water and Zuko lifted his hand to reveal a bloody mess. Katara first set his nose back. She knew it must hurt, but Zuko only grit his teeth. Then, she went about cleaning the blood off his face.

"Good as new?" She stepped back, letting Zuko examine himself in the reflection of a window pane.

"Good enough," he agreed, "That was my fault."

"What? No." Katara shook her head. "Shut up! I'm the one who...who assaulted you again."

"But seriously," Zuko said, turning, "I shouldn't have just sprung a kiss on you. Especially when you're not in the competition like the other girls. I hoped a little too much and I thought...well, anyway, I guess I got an answer." He tried to put on a smile, but Katara knew he was disappointed.

"You didn't," Katara said, "Zuko...I...that was...arg!" Katara covered her face. When she looked up, she saw a hesitantly hopeful look on his face, one that Katara was confident meant he at least understood that there was more to be said. "You didn't misread things, not completely."

She thought of their dance and how close they'd been, how it had felt like no one else was in the whole room. If he was reading into it, she was too.

She paused, losing the courage to say more. Zuko didn't seem to mind, or perhaps he'd never thought she was going to add to that comment in the first place. Instead, Zuko just rubbed his palm over his jaw and up to his newly set nose, biting the inside of his cheek and chuckling.

"I heard as a kid that your first kiss was always either awful or awkward, but I thought...well, I thought if it were someone I cared about that-"

Katara didn't even hear the 'care about' part, not until she thought back to it.

"That was your first kiss?" Katara asked, shocked. She felt guilt coil in her stomach. What a horrible memory to have! Her own first kiss had been a little fumbling, but overall average, if she had to rate it. A solid 6/10.

"Well," Zuko turned a shade or red, "When did you think I would be kissing other girls before this? Plus, I always knew I was going to have to marry someone found through the Choice, so dating didn't seem reasonable," he said, growing more and more embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I'm just...surprised."

"Clearly."

"Well, pretty much any girl here would have kissed you, gladly," Katara pointed out.

"I was sort of saving it. It's stupid, I get it, and a kiss really means nothing. It's not like I'm better or worse for having kissed someone, but I wanted to give it as a token, if that makes sense. Spirits, it makes no sense," Zuko decided, covering his face before Katara could answer.

"That's actually really sweet." Katara pulled her eyebrows in thought. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad about it. I just wasn't expecting that."

"Why would you have thought that?" he asked wryly. "You know I'm totally unsure how to even talk to the girls I'm dating, so how would kissing them be more reasonable? I think this whole interaction shows I still have no idea what I'm doing. Running a country, I have a handle on it. Kissing girls…" He made a shuddering motion and shook his head, "Useless."

"You're not useless," Katara said. There was a long pause. "Let's just back up. Just pretend that those last ten or so minutes never happened," she said, making a motion with her hand as though she was wiping away the incident. Zuko was looking at her, unsure but curious.

"Okay?"

"And, well," Katara pulled him in, "Let's give you a new memory for that first kiss, shouldn't we?"

Just as she was leaning in this time, Zuko pulled back. Katara restrained herself from making a distressed sound in the back of her throat.

"Time out, I've got to ask. This isn't a pity kiss, is it?" he said, looking at her carefully. "Because if it is, let's just not. I shouldn't have forced that kiss on you and you shouldn't feel the need to fix me. It's fine, really," he assured.

Another girl may have been offended. Katara, however, understood. She felt as though she showed every emotion on her sleeve but the romantic ones. Zuko sometimes only showed his. There was a disconnect between them, in moments like these.

"Zuko, it's not a pity kiss." Katara linked her fingers in his, an undeniably intimate and romantic gesture as she pulled herself close instead of him to her. "I'm kissing you because I want to. I'm kissing you because I've wanted to for weeks now. I'll never tell a soul about the other kiss if you don't." She wondered if this was a ploy to get her to admit her feelings, but she didn't think Zuko would be underhanded about matters of the heart.

"Okay," Zuko agreed. He unlaced his fingers, and just when she was missing the gentle heat, he placed both of his hands on her cheeks, keeping her in place. It was also a motion that was hard to miss the intention of, so if she was having second thoughts, she could back out now...without breaking his nose a second time.

But she was in it, emotionally and physically. She processed every moment as it was happening and kept her glowing after. Zuko leaned in, placing his lips on hers. At first, he was tentative, and Katara wondered if it would just be a chaste peck.

And then, it wasn't tentative.

It was a gentle kiss, not roaring or sexual or needy, but it was steadfast. Katara didn't want his first kiss to be anything more, unless he made the first move. That didn't mean that she didn't feel his passion, nor did it mean she didn't feel giddy like a school girl. Just because it was a rather modest kiss, didn't mean that she couldn't feel the fireworks being carefully drawn back, for the sake of the kiss. She knew that this sealed it. She wanted him, every bit of him, every aspect of Zuko.

Katara's own hands had dug into the roots of his hair, not pulling, but keeping him close. And, even when it seemed impossible to stop, Zuko did, pulling back an inch.

She wasn't going to pull back, she had decided. She enjoyed it a little more than she probably should have. Yes, she basked in that kiss, and in the afterglow that settled on her cheeks too. She had liked kissing Zuko and had felt those butterflies, and the thought of drawing away was almost painful.

But, she'd wait. She doubted this would be the last time he'd kiss her. Already, she wanted more. But Zuko seemed satisfied with this kiss, grinning before lifting his lips to kiss her forehead. His hands were still on her cheeks and they dropped, but only to her palms. His fingers lazily drew patterns all over her skin.

"That was really nice," Katara murmured.

Zuko pulled back, looking down. "Not your first kiss?" he asked. Katara wondered if he'd be upset it wasn't, but she shook her head nonetheless. To not a complete surprise, because she should know that Zuko wasn't a jerk, he just grinned.

"Thank spirits one of us knows what they're doing."

"Not that well." Katara felt herself blush. "I wouldn't say my experiences have ever been like this." As soon as she said it, Katara sort of regretted it. She hadn't meant to be so obvious about it.

"Like what?" Zuko asked casually, unaware of her internal panic, but his eyes trained on here when she bit her lip.

"Well, like," Katara made a motion between them, "Agni, I can't even say it." She gave a wince. Zuko seemed to understand, or at least he nodded in a way that seemed like he could understand.

"To clarify," he began, "Katara...I know you came here for your tribe. I will always respect that, okay? You made it clear that you wanted to be the second to last person here, for reasons. And I got that too. But after this, after tonight, you and me...I'm not asking about absolutes, but I just want to know if it's possible-"

"Yes," Katara answered before he could even finish, anticipating his next words. She drew in a large breath, because she knew that she had to be brave, that she had to say it. "Yes, Zuko, it's possible. I'm well on my way to falling in love with you."

Zuko's fingers squeezed Katara and he leaned forward again, giving her a second surprise kiss. She was half-expecting it and was glad she didn't break his nose. This was one 'chaste', but she could still feel the over-pouring of emotion toward her in it. It was almost suffocating, but in a glorious way.

"Katara, oh." He shook his head. "I won't push you, I can wait, if that's what you need. But hearing that?" He just couldn't stop grinning.

"I'm not in love with you yet," Katara said, drawing her arms over her stomach self-consciously. "So... there's still a competition, you know." She didn't want him to put all his hope on her.

"Yeah, arg," Zuko's face fell. "My father has been badgering me for a couple weeks now to cut a few more girls."

"I was wondering when that would happen," Katara admitted.

"I know it should be soon but here's my dilemma...I look at all of them and they all just pale in comparison to you. It's hard to even judge the rest of the girls on a scale because you are just so much higher up there. I can't even pick the girls I don't want here because if you told me, I'd send every last one packing."

"Oh," Katara squeaked.

Zuko's eyes widened. " I came on too strong. I didn't mean to scare you like that. Take pity on me, I've never dated anyone."

"Yeah," Katara said slowly, "I know." She shook her head. "It's fine. Really. But, like I said, I'm not 'there' yet. So, you will have to think about that," she instructed softly. Zuko gave a nod of agreement.

"Okay, I will." he agreed.

"So," Katara rocked on her heels, "How was the rest of the ball for you?"

They ended up talking late into the night about the ball, swapping stories. This was why she liked him, she mused, because it was so easy to talk to him. She could imagine having things to talk about her entire life with him. And, if there was silence, that wasn't awkward either.

She couldn't remember being tired, nor could she recall the string of choices that led her to falling asleep in the kitchen closet. All she could recall was how much fun she was having with him, and how despite their declarations, things pretty much went on like normal. She was glad their friendship was not culled because of their feelings.

"Psst!" Someone was snapping their fingers over her face. Katara wearily opened her eyes to see a half-worried, half-furious Aiga over her.

She stretched a bit, only to realize that Zuko was next to her. She looked down to where her head had been and saw it had been resting on his chest, right beneath his collar bone. They'd fallen asleep here, together.

"Whazza?" Zuko drawled groggily, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh spirits, Zuko, we fell asleep!" Katara shook him.

He shot up, sucking in hard. "What? Crap!"

"You two!" Aiga huffed, but almost looked amused. "C'mon, we should get you back, Katara. And you…" She shook a finger at him, and Katara was surprised she had the guts to do that. "Prince Zuko…"

"I assume you'll be quiet about this?" Zuko asked, taking her admonishment in completely and nodding to her.

"Of course." Aiga crossed her arms. "I am loyal to you, but also to Princess Katara."

"Good. Uh, remind me to give you a raise or a few days off later," he said, running his fingers through his hair in an attempt to make it not look suspicious. Aiga grinned.

"Why, thank you."

"Katara," Zuko said, nodding to her. He hesitated for a second, lingering by the door, and Katara almost went to kiss him again. In the end, they both went their separate ways out the door.

"You're going to give me a heart attack one of these days," Aiga said, guiding Katara through the hall, smiling at the people they passed, as though she was gossiping with the 'Princess'.

"I didn't mean for it to happen," Katara frowned, biting her lip, worried about the consequences. Aiga saw her face.

"It's fine. I covered for you," Aiga said, patting her arm.

Katara almost smiled. "You do need a raise or a vacation. I think both. Maybe I'll even suggest to Zuko that the guard you like should coincidentally be on vacation at the same time…" Katara nudged her.

"You don't have to do that," Aiga blushed, "You're far too kind."

They had almost reached the doors of the ladies' rooms. "No, you are," Katara said seriously. "Why are you helping me? I've seen Fidelia's handmaid around, so it's not like you having a job here is tied to me," she pointed out.

"Because I like you," Aiga said simply, but when Katara did not seem convinced she sighed, playing with a strand of her long black hair. "Because I think you would be the best Fire Lady. Because you came in not liking the prince - and yes, I know about that - but you like him now, so I'm assured you're in this for the real reasons, not trying to manipulate him. Because you make him happy too and being the Fire Lord is stressful, so he deserves someone he can relax into after the day is done. Because you care for the little people, like me, which means you'd care for the city just as much."

Katara's throat burned and she gulped back a tear. "You have far too much faith in me, Aiga," she whispered, touched but also overwhelmed.

"I would not pick someone I didn't think could handle it," Aiga said. "Remember, Katara, there are many people who believe in you. You will never be alone in this palace."

Katara's head snapped up, frowning, because the tone had been strangely cryptic, but Aiga had already slipped back into the crowded halls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how was that everyone? I've been so excited to release this chapter for so long, you have no idea!
> 
> And this will be, obviously, a significant change in their relationship. I do want to say that Katara is falling in love with him, but not 'in love' completely yet. And, she's logical enough to know this is still a competition so she's more or less encouraging him not to forget about that, because at the end of the day, she is most loyal to her tribe and will always be.
> 
> In other news, I've posted KnightOwl247's drabble on A03, watt, and tumblr, so go check that out! It's a Zutara one :)


	21. Chapter 21

Katara was still entirely tired and wondered if she could manage to get away with sleeping the rest of the day. It was, after all, the day after a very strenuous event. Some of the girls waved at her, but they seemed none too concerned about where she'd been.

She opened her door, yawning, and started shuffling to her bed.

"And just where do you think you've been?"

Katara nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned to see Toph sitting in the corner like a creep, just waiting for her.

"Uhm," Katara blinked, drawing blanks. She was too tired to come up with a convincing lie. Plus, she realized she hadn't asked Aiga the specifics of what she had told others. "I left early this morning."

"Like bull you did," Toph snorted. "Because I tried to be a nice person last night, came to your room with cake, and you were just 'poof'," Toph made an elaborate hand motion, "And so, obviously, I was interested. You just came back," she said. "Aiga may have convinced the rest of those idiots, but not me."

Katara's jaw locked. "Fine. I didn't," she agreed, knowing that denying anything once Toph knew was pretty useless. Katara decided that the best course of action was to not say anything else from here on out to give it away.

"So, where were you last night that could have you coming back so late with your hair like that and-"

Toph's eyes widened. "You were with Zuko. Alone."

Katara would later learn that it was a guess. But it was a damn good one, and she spoke so confidently that Katara would have mistaken it for fact. "What? No." Katara looked away, scoffing and trying to sound convincing.

"Oh, honey. Even if you somehow forgot I know exactly when you're lying, Sokka was right when he told me you were an awful liar. Geeze," Toph said, causing Katara to blush scarlet. She had forgotten about Toph's ability.

"So, you were with Sparky, then. I mean, he's your friend and you share secret shit, so there's that, but why are you so warm, and why is your heart beating so fast?" Toph rubbed her chin, stalking up inches away from her friend. When her face changed this time, there was no denying that Toph had figured it out. "He kissed you. Or you kissed him. Bottom line, smooching happened."

"Just one!" Katara snapped, in keeping with their promise to hide the horrible first kiss. And their second kiss after. A girl had to have some secrets.

"Woah," Toph said but after a second, she frowned. "Spirits," she muttered, half angry and half disappointed.

"What?" Katara asked, dropping her defensive crossed arms to her sides.

"Well, it's real then," Toph mumbled, "You like him."

"I...well, yes." Katara's voice was soft. Toph continued to pace.

"Arg, you had to ruin it, Sweetness!" Toph sounded almost distraught. "We were in this together, you know? Two badass girls out to fight against stupid things like love. We were the ones not in this for the prince and now you're just like the rest of them." She scowled, looking deeply betrayed.

"I'm not like the 'other girls'," Katara said, taking offense to her tone, "Just because I think I like Zuko does not mean I'm here to win this." She said. After a moment, she was offended for the other girls, "And so what if they're here for love? That's the entire reason they're meant to be here! You look me in the eye and tell me that you don't think that someone like On Ji or Yue or Suki wouldn't genuine love Zuko and make a good Fire Lady?" She said, holding her gaze with Toph, who although could not see, felt the pressure of her disapproving stare.

"You know I didn't mean it like that," Toph rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably, "I just meant-,"

"I know what you meant. Just because I'm not here to win doesn't make me better than them. And I still don't." She muttered, "So, there."

Toph ground her teeth. "You're telling the truth. Huh." She gave a deep sigh. "So, then, what? How are you going to stay here with those feelings? Cuz, honey, they're only gunna grow."

"I haven't figured it out that far. I like him. He likes me. But my tribe always has and always will come first," Katara assured. "Same with friends. Friends are family to me," she said, touching Toph gently on the shoulder.

"Don't get all sappy," Toph said, wiping away her touch like it was dirty. Katara let out a small smile, because honestly she'd be more concerned if Toph was expressing emotions all over the place.

"I'm not going to. Not about this, not about Zuko either. I have a clear mind about this, Toph."

Toph narrowed her milky eyes at Katara. "You'd better," she advised. "And I say this in the most careful way possible, a smart girl like you knows you're literally playing with fire."

"We're not telling people." Katara got her drift immediately. If Zuko was willing to go off to protect Katara, his friend, from his father...what sort of awful ways could his father exploit Zuko if he knew about them romantically?

"Yeah, yeah," Toph nodded. "Ozai's batshit crazy. Let's not give him a reason to kill you," she said.

"I couldn't do that to Zuko," Katara swallowed, imaging all the ways this could go wrong. She wasn't a fly that could just be batted down, but Ozai was a seasoned fighter trained to kill. Katara was not. "But I think he knows that his father is volatile. He will put his nation first, too. I want him to do what's best for him."

"You know it's probably not you that's 'best for him', not now?" Toph pointed out. "Not until his father's six feet underground."

Katara sucked in deeply. Somewhere, she did know. She knew that she was opening them both up to dangers by admitting her feelings. At least they weren't fully formed, however she couldn't imagine cleaving herself from him.

"We'll go as long as I can. But yeah, if I need to…" Katara didn't finish the thought. Toph understood it.

"Huh." Toph seemed surprised the the whole conversation. "You're alright, Kat."

"I wasn't before?" Katara's question was dry.

"You're more okay now. But if you start turning into a lovesick puppy 'bout this, I'll punch you. I'm goddam serious."

"Oh," Katara snorted, "I know you are."

"Mhh. Cake?" Toph offered up a slightly smashed plate.

"Is that from last night?" Katara tried not to wince.

"Hey, good cake can't go to waste," Toph said, ignoring politeness or utensils and using her hands to grab a piece off. "Really, c'mon. I'm not gunna give you cooties," Toph said, waving the plate under her nose. She laughed, grabbing some off the plate. "But Zuko might." Toph's grin was devious.

"Toph," Katara mumbled, a warning.

"Look, if I can't make this fun for me when we're alone, what's even the point?" Toph said, "Speaking of alone-"

"Ah, just shove it," Katara said, flicking crumbs at her. "One day when you're in love…"

"Ewe, never finish that sentence," Toph said, shaking her head. "Impossible. Not gunna happen."

Katara shrugged sweetly, licking chocolate from her fingers. She was very tempted to point out she had not foreseen herself falling in love with Zuko, yet here they both were.

"Well, I'm gunna go change. Maybe see if Smellerbee's busy," Toph said, flicking crumbs onto the carpet. "Katara?"

"Yeah?" Katara looked up. Toph hesitated, opening her lips to say something, but at the last moment she furrowed her brows and shook her head. She left without any closing remarks, which told Katara just how ruffled Toph was about this whole situation.

Katara finished off the rest of her cake, considering it breakfast, before rolling up her items to head to the bathing rooms. She scrubbed the night's event out of her hair, the tacky spray that had been put in her tresses, and the glitter that had dusted over her skin from the dress. The glitter was everywhere, frankly, and some tiny part of Katara knew that it probably got on Zuko too. This made her happy in a weird way.

She let herself sink under the warm water, up to her nose. Outside in the halls, she heard Zuko calling On Ji for a date. Below the surface of the water, Katara couldn't help smiling ridiculously. While not long ago his voice had sent her into a panic, now it soothed her. It made her feel, dare she say, bubbly.

Even after he was gone, she floated in the water, making shapes in the air with circles of water. She let her fingers quake as she absentmindedly made polar-bear dogs and turtle-ducks and other animals. It was a good focus technique, but ultimately a parlour trick more than anything else.

She finally got out once the water had turned ice cold, rubbing her towel through her hair. She began to wash her mouth out at the sinks, patting her cheeks dry.

The door swung open.

"And I'll need three more dresses, since we're - oh!" Katara looked up to see Nadhari, followed by her handmaid - Katara recalled that her name was Mitsuki. She'd seen her with Aiga on occasion. She also knew that Nadhari had brought Mitsuki with her, rather than being assigned. Katara tried to ignore Nadhari.

"Just the girl I was looking for. I'm glad you're here," Nadhari said, making it impossible for Katara to do that.

Katara looked up, glaring. "I'm not."

"Look," Nadhari leaned on one of the sinks, sighing, "Can we just get over it?"

"Get over what? The fact you tried to kidnap and derobe me at the party, or all the other awful things you've done?" Katara asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm trying to apologize here," Nadhari grumbled, but her tone didn't show it.

"You're doing a really awful job." Katara said, spitting in the sink as she continued her routine. "And frankly, I don't want to hear your excuses." Katara had dealt with 'mean girls' before. Her tribe had one or two. She'd gotten a thick skin fast, and Nadhari was no different than those girls.

"You have to understand how frustrating it is for me. You're always the favorite, I'm always one step behind," Nahari said. "Katara, please?"

Something about her tone made Katara turn. She almost looked contrite. Or maybe this was Nadhari's version of genuinely apologetic. Maybe she lacked that final leap?

"I just want to make amends, okay? I'm just not used to being friends with the people I'm competing against."

"Uh-huh?" Katara sighed, narrowing her eyes. "That's it?" It was a poor apology for everything.

"Yeah, just, well I've said my piece." Nadhari was playing with her braids. If Katara didn't know better, she'd say she was nervous. She wasn't looking Katara directly in the eyes like she usually did, but instead glancing down. The tips of her ears were pink. That was the part that caused Katara to pause; you could fake humility well enough, but a genuine reaction like that was something no one really had control over.

Katara thought about it. "Let's just not get in each other's space anymore and I'll think about accepting it," Katara said after a moment. She didn't want to spit in her face if Nadhari was truthful, but Katara also wasn't born yesterday.

Nadhari nodded, backing out of the bathroom.

"Is she serious?" Katara asked Mitsuki, turning back to the mirror and watching her reflection. The handmaid jumped to be addressed. "Nadhari?" Katara clarified.

"She's not lying," Mitsuki said, her voice quiet and mousy. "She has been raised in a very competitive household of very strong people." She shook at the thought of Nadhari's family, which maybe told Katara a lot.

Still, Zuko's family was that way and Zuko was perfectly nice, so…

"I suggested she apologize to you. She does feel regret about the ball, but does not always know when to say she's sorry."

"And she listened to you?" Katara asked, straightening.

"I've known her since we were both children. She is not an awful person, not wholly." Mitsuki isn't discounting that Nadhari can be a real menace, Katara notices. She appreciates the honesty.

"Mhh," Katara said, running her tongue over her teeth as she thought, "Well, I said what I meant. If she stays out of my way, I won't get in hers." This means, she supposes, that she won't go and tell Zuko to give her the boot right now. However, the first incident in which Nadhari slips up, Katara won't hesitate. She feels like Nadhari knows this too, from the way her eyes had flashed as she left. Katara can give second chances, because if Nadhari has changed, then good, and if not, well, it's simple enough. It was too easy for Katara to get a hold of Zuko and have her gone.

Mitsuki bowed twice, before scurrying out.

Katara was just going to have to watch how this played out, she decided. She'd be friends with almost anyone, as long as they proved their worth. Nadhari, so far, was in negative point worth. She had a long way to go. Maybe Nadhari realized that at this point, Zuko would want a nice wife. Maybe she can change. Katara isn't discounting this; people can grow, even in a few short weeks.

Some part of Katara, her ever bleeding heart that was always trying to fix people, wanted to believe very much that Nadhari had changed. But, the stonier side that has been hurt before knows not to put all her faith in one place.

THEPRINCESCHOICE

It was only a day or two later, when Katara was lounging in the women's room, that she hears it.

The days after the ball are busier than Katara thought, and this was the first time she had a chance to breathe. Yue had goaded her into joining a whole gaggle of girls in the main area to do some poetry readings. While the initial suggestion made Katara wince and try to muster up an excuse, Yue took her hand and led her along, like Yue does.

Now that she was there, it wasn't awful, Katara decided. It wasn't like the girls was reading the worst poetry out there. Some of it was actually quite amusing.

Katara wasn't the best reading out loud. At home, scrolls or books were few and far between. She's always been a great public speaker, but there was a difference between being able to inspire people on the spot and reading very particular words from a page.

However, the poetry itself was intriguing. It was not a lovey-dovey romantic compilation, but instead a volume of epic poems, this particular first installment about a girl who traveled to the land of dragons. It was considered a must-read by the Fire Nation, as dragons were their nation's sigil.

Katara bit her tongue to prevent herself from reminding the girls that it was also the Fire Nation who hunted them to extinction, Iroh being the last (and it hurt her to imagine a man she liked so much as the Dragon Slayer). That was neither here nor there, though, and Katara was not looking for fight.

Plus, this was pretty good stuff.

Eight girls sat in a circle, passing the book around and reading a chapter each. All the girls were on the edge of their seat with anticipation at the story's coming events, Katara included. If Yue could smirk, Katara thought, she'd be smirking at Katara's obvious enjoyment of something she'd so carelessly dismissed.

Maiha finished reading her part, and passed the book onto Katara.

"Fei climbed the rocky mountain, grasping the sandy colored rocks as she pulled herself higher, and higher, chasing the spiny tail of the dragon that had vanished just above the bluffs," Katara began to read, eager to find out what happened next. "Her hands were cut on the jagged stone, her feet fumbled on the…"

Katara trailed off, frowning and tilted her head. She was, she'd later realize, the first to hear it.

"Katara, do you need help with a word?" Yue nudged her, asking kindly. There had been two or three unfamiliar terms that Katara had come across earlier during her reading.

"Shh," Katara set the book face-down, standing. "Can't you hear it?"

Yue frowned, but then a smile spread across her face.

"Rain."

It was a sound Katara had never heard in her life, but somehow had always known. It was strange to imagine, but true, that despite her element literally falling from the sky when it rained, she'd only ever seen it in frozen form. She knew that rain occurred in some areas, but it had never been warm enough in the South.

The other girls in the circle either shrugged or moaned.

"Well, it was about time," On Ji murmured, shrugging, "Rain's been overdue."

Katara figured this was true; in all her months in the Fire Nation, she hadn't seen it rain.

"Ugg, common enough." Anaselma gave a shrugging motion. "Can we get back to the sto-hey? Where are you going?"

Katara was already halfway out the door.

The other Water Tribe girls had gathered too, hearing the steady plink against the tin roofs of the palace, the unmistakable sound that was foreign to them, yet familiar to most.

They followed Katara into her room, where she threw open her curtains to see the earth in front of her being lavished with a heavy storm.

"Wow!" Kilee gasped, pressing her nose to the glass, "Look at that!"

Katara threw open her door, stumbling out into the rain. She tripped over the layers of her dress in her hurry to chuck her slippers behind her, followed by the outer-layer of her fancy dress, leaving her in just a black slip. She grinned, looking upwards, and threw out her arms to let the slightly-warm drops bathe over every inch of her body.

She felt the rain soak into her clothes and drip down her hair, her face, her cheeks...it was glorious.

"Come on out, c'mon!" she called back to the girls. "Eva, you gotta admit…" she urged, particularly to Eva. She felt like she was a part of this storm, in a strange sense. It was the joy that she felt whenever it snowed at home, but increased.

All the girls were looking at her like she'd gone slightly mad, even Yue.

Katara shrugged, not caring about their opinions, and turned back to the center of the garden, closing her eyes and letting the rhythm carry through her body.

Splat!

She felt a large amount of water pour over her head, as though someone had dumped a bucket on top of her.

She turned to see Eva standing behind her in the rain, her fingers raised and shaking, but forming another giant water bubble nonetheless. Eva was giggling uncontrollably.

Her laughter was infectious, and Katara couldn't help but join in. It wasn't that this situation was particularly humorous, it just felt so strange to be standing here in a rainstorm, but so very enjoyable.

Katara outstretched her finger tips, summoning the water around her. To draw rain directly from the sky, compared to, say, a barrel or a pond, felt so strange. It also felt different from bending falling snow. Rain was lighter, more malleable. Katara was able to change its shape so quickly, instead of experiencing the usual pushback she felt with snow. The water felt like a second skin over her shape as she returned the favor by sending an icy blast at Eva.

Katara spun, holding up her fingers high above her head, and made a cocoon of dry space, the rain trickling around her, like she had an invisible circle of protection arching over her. She was able to point and change the direction of a large sheet of rain, to point right at Eva or elsewhere. Katara was able to catch the water pooling between the blades of grass, skimming it across the ground take Eva off her feet.

Eva was able to catch herself by taking that water and grounding herself as she turned it to ice. Katara could see Eva practicing forms too, finding it much easier as well. For a beginner, this was quite good, Katara decided. Usually, Eva struggled to connect to the singular source of water that they would use to practice. But there was water literally everywhere right now, so even if the rain Eva had been reaching for was not cooperating, another part would comply instead.

"Eva, your dress!" Saoise gasped, half-holding herself out the door of Katara's room.

"Oh, forget the dress!" Eva said, bouncing over, "Come on out, you guys! Even if you're not a waterbender, you'll love it. It's not cold at all, but warm!"

"I think I'm fine," Saoirse winced, but let out a small smile. "It looks like a lot of fun, however."

"You bet your ass!" Toph was shoving through the gaggle of girls. "You know what I like most about rain, Sugar Queen?" Toph called out to Katara.

"What?" Katara asked, spinning.

"Mud!"

Her tone was positively gleeful.

Toph all but dived into a puddle. It was strange, seeing Toph control the mud around her, because it moved so much like water but was earth instead.

"I've always said, life is better with a covering of earth," Toph grinned, painting up Katara's legs in a fine sludgy mixture.

Katara wiggled her toes, feeling the mud squish between them.

"Gross, Toph," Katara shook her head, although tone did not match her words. She held out her leg, and just to see, tried lifting the mud away.

Toph's unseeing eyes widened as she no doubt felt that Katara could bend mud too.

"I guess if it's mostly water…" Katara said, frowning.

"Well, you know what this means, huh?" Toph asked, crossing her arms, and for a second, Katara wondered if she'd be upset that Katara could bend mud too. "Mud fight!"

That's when all bets were off and Toph shoved Katara hard, encasing her completely in mud.

"If you're going to play dirty…" Katara muttered back, twining mud up around Toph's legs. Toph looked happier than she'd ever been.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm asking you to do, literally," Toph said. "But, you're not gunna win! I've been bending mud my whole life, girl."

"Eva! Help!" Katara called out. "Try it!"

Eva pressed her hands into the mud and was delighted as it rose to her will.

"Katara, look, I'm bending!" she cried, elated. Katara gave her a thumbs up, but was cut off by Toph bulldozing her over with a ball of mud.

Katara sputtered, spitting mud from her lips and picked at her hair, now caked in crusty tendrils.

"You give up already?" Toph pouted, standing over her.

"Not a chance!" Katara slammed her to the ground too. Toph made the mud beneath her soft to cushion her fall and jumped back up just as Katara was picking herself up.

Eva attacked Toph from behind, and Toph became preoccupied with trying to cover Eva in mud, too. Eva was surprisingly nimble and was working on her control, so Katara let them face off.

Katara took a couple more steps to the dead center of the garden, and she breathed a contented sigh, raising her face upward. The rain was still coming down in buckets, and the wind whipping at the trees meant that the rain wasn't letting up anytime soon.

Katara rubbed her cheeks and forehead as she let the rain plink onto her skin and drizzle down her chin. She felt completely connected to the Earth in this exact moment, a ubiquitous feeling that she could not recall ever experiencing before. She let her mind escape her physical body and wondered if this is what the Spirit World felt like?

"Girls!"

The shrill and horrified scream jarred Katara from her momentary meditation. Katara snapped her eyes open to see Zhi standing at her doorway with a white look on her face and Prince Zuko standing just behind her. While Zhi was fumbling for words, Zuko was trying to stifle laughter.

"Ladies do not...roll in mud!" Zhi finally managed to sputter, sharply motioning for the trio to return inside. Toph sighed longingly, schlepping off the mud like it was a second skin and stalking inside while muttering under her breathe. Eva gave Katara a grin and followed with a sheepish look. She tried to extract the mud from herself, but ended up just extracting the water, leaving a dried shell of earth on her skin.

"Go and bathe, quickly." Zhi eyed Eva as she left, who nodded something like an apology to the stern woman.

Katara paused for the longest, wanting to savor every moment.

"Go on." Zuko touched Zhi's shoulder. "I'll bring her in and explain it."

Zhi raised an eyebrow but did not question the Prince, shooing the rest of the girls from the room as she called for a meeting in the ladies' area.

Katara took this as a sign she wasn't being reeled in yet, so she continued to wash away the mud with the rain from above, watching Zuko. God, how she wanted to kiss him again.

"You're not going to make me come out there, are you?" Zuko asked, pausing right under the roof.

"Why not?" Katara asked, "Scared?"

"Well, fire and water aren't exactly compatible," Zuko said, but threw his cape over his head and joined her outside anyway.

"Yet..." Katara met him halfway. "...here we are," she reminded with a smirk.

"Yeah," Zuko whispered. "It's probably going to end in tragedy."

She was able to hear the teasing nature of his voice, otherwise she may have been concerned. Although, there was likely some truth to his words.

"But we're still here now," she said in response, unsure how else to go forward.

Zuko sacrificed one his fists that was holding the cape above his head in order to cup her face. He glanced around swiftly, before leaning forward and kissing her softly. Katara yearned for more, but this kiss was nothing past sweet and gentle.

"You looked so happy out here. I would let you stay out all night if I could," Zuko said, and from his tone, Katara knew it was time to come in.

She allowed this, sighing.

"There will be more rain." Zuko tilted his head. "But tonight…" He trailed off. Katara agreed.

She used one of her towels to dry to excess off.

"Tonight?" she prompted, a question.

"Oh, right. Dinner. Get dressed," Zuko nodded, blinking away what seemed be his own haze, although Katara had a feeling it was entirely based on her. "It's in about an hour."

The girls were starting to come back to their rooms. Zuko lingered, looking all too depressed to leave.

"I'll see you at dinner," Katara offered, giving him an out.

"Yeah, of course. See you then." He nodded, closing the door behind him.

Aiga appeared not long after, grinning at Katara's appearance, but she said nothing and worked her magic to make Katara look presentable.

THEPRINCESCHOICE

The dinner was a large event.

"I didn't know that there would be a dinner tonight, and usually I'm on top of things." Yue was frowning deeply, "I'm a little caught off guard."

"Oh, it's not a set date." Ty Lee happened by them. "Prince Zuko will explain it, though."

"What's not a set date?" Katara asked, but Ty Lee had already bounded back up by Mai. She and Yue exchanged shrugs, taking their seats at the very long table. The hall had been decorated with streamers and balloons and the food that was steaming from metal tins looked delectable. The food always looked good, of course, but there was something else in the air tonight.

It seemed like every dignitary visiting was in attendance, and Katara waved happily to Aang, who was sitting near them. He managed to finagle his way to sit next to Katara, and she wondered if he was lonely here too. He had Zuko, but Zuko was sitting at the head with his family, and not a single person here - sans the girls - was a day under thirty. Aang seemed mature, so she was sure he could usually get on fine, but it must be exhausting year after year.

"What is this?" Katara asked as they were served soup first, but no one touched their plates.

Aang was opening his mouth to reply, when Fire Lord Ozai stood and waved his hand. A hush fell across the table.

"Welcome all to the Season's Opening Feast. For those of you unfamiliar with the Fire Nation, we have two seasons here: dry and rainy. We depend on the rain to grow our crops and sustain us through the dry season, though we do now have trade agreement being set up with the more fertile Earth Kingdom. However, this is a tradition that goes back eons, and we honor the rain gods for blessing the earth tonight. The meal will focus heavily on water, or things grown as a result of the heavy storms that will occur for the next few moon cycles, so enjoy, everyone."

"I can't believe they have a whole celebration about rain." Nadhari was rolling her eyes. "Every season is rain season in Earth Kingdom."

If Katara didn't dislike her so much, her comment would almost be funny.

"In Water Tribes," Kilee began, ignoring Nadhari's look towards her, "Nothing grows. It's why being a vegetarian there wouldn't really pan out. I mean, I guess seaweed grows, but it's really hard to get." She giggled, shrugging. "Or sea prunes, or-"

"We do have some plant life, but as Kilee said," Yue interpreted Kilee's scattered thoughts, "It's not as plentiful as the animals are."

"What about where you're from?" Katara asked Aang quietly, so only so he could hear. Kilee was continuing on with her own thoughts, so a lot of the girls had tuned out the conversations around them and began speaking with each other. Katara was sure to not say anything specific, but she was curious.

"Dry, arid. Little rain," he said. "We're above most of the clouds, so-" He slurped his soup. "Was. We were." He frowned as his past tense, shaking his head. "Anyway. Not very humid, so only certain things grow. We were vegetarians because we don't believe in harming animals, but, it's not like animals were all over. We did have things like vines growing." He seemed to animate a little more, talking about his former home. There was a wistfulness in his eyes.

"One day," Katara squeezed his hand gently, "I'd love to hear more."

"I'd like to share my culture with someone," he said, looking grateful. As much as it hurt Aang to remember his nation, he also seemed freer. Katara almost made a comment about Dhakiya, and how maybe she'd like to know her ancestral culture too, but she held it back. Aang still didn't know she was an airbender.

She hoped one day she could tell him.

It made her wonder, as she gazed out across the table. How many more secret airbenders were out there?

The meal was decadent and was heavily water-based, as Ozai had said. Katara enjoyed it, seeing as water was pretty special to her.

As the meal was wrapping up, Zuko stood, catching the attention of the room instantly. That is, he caught the attention of the ladies in the competition, which was at least a fourth of the room, and the rest followed not long after.

"It's been a couple months here, and my father and I have talked it over and we've come to an executive decision…" He paused and Katara frowned, heart beating wildly. She doubted it was the wife announcement, although the looks of terror across the faces of the girls showed she wasn't alone in having that question. Some looked more afraid than others.

"We've decided that the ladies of the Prince's Choice will be welcome to move about the palace freely from now on, instead of being confined to their quarters. We do this with the hopes you will start to commit the layout of the palace to memory, as well as get to know certain areas, since the Fire Lady will one day live here. This goes into effect tomorrow. The ground allowances of this is that curfew is strictly 10 PM each day, and if for any reason we feel as though an individual should not be outside, Zhi and her helpers have the right to ground you back to the corridors. We are not allowing trips outside the palace unless accompanied by myself for a date, but start to think of this palace as your home and feel comfortable exploring it. Thank you."

The mood changed with a snap of a finger. It went from the whooshing relief that he wasn't cutting it short, to the unbridled excitement of being able to go out on their own.

Katara was thrilled too, until she thought hard about it.

"Something wrong? I thought you'd be happy to get away from that hall." Aang charted her changing expressions.

"I am, don't get me wrong."

"I hoped maybe you'd spar with me, or practice," Aang said, reminding Katara that she could now freely use the arena.

"Absolutely, I want to, but…" She trailed off again. "It's nothing. Well, nothing to worry about. I just have to talk to Prince Zuko about something." Ever since her slip up, she'd been hyper-aware about using the right prefix for Zuko in public.

"Okay." Aang still had his eyebrows knit with worry, but he shook his head, banishing whatever questions still remained. "How about we spar in two days? Noon?" he asked, practically bouncing in his seat, childlike in his excitement. She realized that this new policy would give him a chance for a lot more friends - Toph, plus the girls he might have known before the competition.

When the dinner was over, Katara stood quickly, trying to elbow through the crowd to get to Zuko. Her worries were too present to wait until later. It seemed that everyone wanted Zuko, however, and she was shoved back by dignitaries and other girls until she just couldn't get to him.

"Kuzon," she called back, almost reaching out and grabbing his wrist. She realized mid-reach this would be inappropriate, what with everyone watching, but Aang's reaction was immediate. She wondered, briefly, what it would be like to be called something else for nearly five years?

No one seemed to find a problem with her speaking to Aang. Aang was friendly in a non-threatening way to many of the girls. When he would speak to them, he wouldn't look at them like they were pieces of meat, but as people. Therefore, Katara had noticed more and more girls looking to him as a person safe to talk to at dinners or at events.

"Yeah?" Aang scratched his chin. "I was sorta going to go say hi to...never mind."

If Katara was having a friendly chat with him, she'd press this, try to see what name was at the end of that thought. At this moment, though, she just filed it away.

"What the heck, though?" she asked Aang ."Letting the girls out? Weren't we supposed to stay in here specifically because it's not safe? We both know it's not 'safe'."

"No, it's not." Aang did not disagree. "Butttt...well, aren't you all getting a little stir-crazy?"

"I'd rather be crazy than dead," her voice deadpanned.

"Ah, right, good point." Aang bit his lip. "Well, here's what I know: the Equalists haven't attacked the palace in a while and are not close to us, from what the war letters they're sending back are saying. There's that. Two, if they were going to attack, Lu Ten pointed out that most of you would be sitting ducks, all in one place, just begging for a mass murder. At least if they try to get someone to stir up trouble, you'll all be all over the grounds. Not that I'm saying the death of one is any better. You'll all be back there for sleeping, but guards will be doubled at your door at night. So…" Aang made a weighing motion with his hands. "I wouldn't think too hard about it."

"Easy for you to say," Katara whispered, "I just don't have a good feeling about this, not at all."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be posting Avidfan13's drabble sometime today. It's a continuation of my college!AU one I started for Hepchaton's so if you liked that, be sure to check that out!
> 
> ALSO! Myottodog has made FAN ART and it's FLIPPING INCREDIBLE. Seriously, just A+, the best, so good. It's reblogged to my art tumblr (youngbloodlex22) so go and show this wonderful artist your love!
> 
> Hope you guys all have a great week :) We're in the final stretch of book 1 here! Only maybe 7 more chapters after this, then book 2,...then book 3 ;)


	22. Chapter 22

Within the next couple days, there were no large catastrophic events, as Katara had been fearing there would be. In fact, things were better, if she had to put a name to it. Everyone was just so excited to be able to explore the palace they one day hoped to live in that spirits were high and the nights were filled with girls tripping over each other to tell a story about some strange portrait in the third hallway on the second floor or about how they found a room gilded completely in gold.

It made Katara almost gleeful to be part of something, since she was not without her own experiences to tell.

It also gave Katara a chance to see those she wanted to and avoid those she didn't. Namely, that would be Nadhari. The dark-skinned girl hadn't done anything nefarious yet- that Katara had seen - and she was seemingly making an honest to god effort, that is to say that she was staying out of Katara's way. But also, Katara saw her hold back a nasty comment at dinner one night.

Katara shrugged; it was food for thought, at least, to imagine that Nadhari could be good, could even redeem herself.

Was it just an elaborate plan to get Katara to not tell on her? Katara was unsure. If it was, it would only benefit everyone around her, since she'd have to keep this niceness up until the end of the competition.

THEPRINCESCHOICE

Katara managed to get her first spar in with Aang. It had been decided that since he was thought to be a Fire Nation Royal, he'd firebend from now on, even if they were 99% sure no one would be checking in on them. It was just too risky.

Other girls who wanted to spar found perfectly nice gardens or outdoor pits, but Katara didn't tell anyone about the arena. It was ultimately very selfish, but she wanted to enjoy being the only girl who knew about this area for as long as she could.

Katara found that she and Aang were evenly matched when they sparred. He wasn't great at firebending, since it was his second element, but Katara wasn't entirely schooled on how to waterbend to begin with. Plus, she'd only ever fought a non-bender. While it was still a bit strange because she wasn't fighting a waterbender, benders just moved differently than non-benders did.

The first spar Katara and Aang did, they declared a draw after two hours. Both were dripping with sweat and bleeding in one or two places, though only by accident. Sparring against Aang was tough; Katara knew the theoreticals of firebending, and while Zuko had taught Aang proper firebending technique, Aang still did some of the moves like an airbender. It was like hearing someone speak a different language with their native accent. However, Katara was determined to memorize some of the recurring movements, lest she ever get the chance to fight Zuko.

Frankly, she wasn't seeing him much.

"He's super busy with the trading," Aang said when Katara asked him. "His father keeps saying that this is just a taste of what being Fire Lord is like. Then, Azula made some comment like 'if you can't do this, how can you be the Fire Lord' and that just made Zuko throw himself into the whole thing even more." Aang gave a deep sigh. "He's impossible sometimes. The whole family is."

"I bet he's really stressed." Katara chewed on her nail, worried for him.

"He'll be alright. As soon as diplomats come in to negotiate, things will be easier. He's trying to do three different negotiations all through messenger hawk right now," Aang said, shrugging.

"Not that you're not great company, Aang," Katara said, because after around the third time of her asking, he had seemed a little glum.

"Yeah, no, I know," he said. "You like him. You don't like me, not like that, which is good. Not that you're not great, but…" He scratched his head.

"You like someone?" Katara guessed with a curious smile.

"Hey, you want to see a new move Zuko taught me?" Aang not-so-deftly avoided the question, which confirmed it. However, Katara didn't push.

She returned that afternoon after slightly getting a leg up on Aang, although he insisted he let her win, and saw a group of girls in a circle in the ladies' room.

The other outcome of this new allowance was that it made the ladies' rooms so much more enjoyable. There was a much calmer ambiance overall, because the girls who were there wanted to be there. If someone was getting antsy or clashed over something, she could go somewhere else. Therefore, the stress levels and the petty fights reduced significantly. While Katara loved walking around the palace, she often found the most pleasing groups of girls to remain behind in the ladies' rooms. It's not to say that they weren't out and about exploring too, it was that they specifically made time to return to their friends and relax at the end of the night. They were the girls who wanted to foster the relationships the close quarters had forced them to create, instead of abandoning them like some of the other contestants did.

She took a quick bath, more or less just scrubbing off the dust and sweat coating her skin, changed into a more casual dress and popped her head in to see Yue, Suki, On Ji, Alcina and Ratana (who wasn't usually in their group, but about whom Katara had no solid negative opinions) lounging on floor pillows with tea and finger cakes.

"Katara, come join us!" Alcina waved her over.

"What are you all doing in here?" Katara asked.

"We're swapping local legends and myths from our towns. Yue was just about to tell us about Tui and La," On Ji answered, smiling.

"Do you know it, Katara?" Yue questioned.

"Uh, a bit." Katara admitted that she was not as up to-date on general Water Tribe mythos as she would like to be. "I know my great-grandmother used to tell me the story, but we usually just tell stories about Southern Myths."

"I'd love to hear those too, if you'd tell them." Yue smiled and others nodded in agreement, "On Ji has already told us about the Fire Sages and Suki about Avatar Kyoshi, so you missed those. I'm next, and then Alcina and Ratana, and you can go after if you'd like. Or, you can just listen."

"No, I'll go," Katara always enjoyed sharing her culture with others. "You can go on. Have I missed any of yours?"

"She was just about to start!" On Ji replied, leaning forward. "So you said that Tui and La are fish?" Katara leaned forward to grab some tea and Ratana passed her the plate of food. She settled herself on the pillow, sipping quietly so as to not interrupt Yue's quiet voice.

"They take the form of fish," Yue corrected. "Tui is the Moon Spirit. He's a white fish with a black spot. La is the Ocean Spirit. She is a black fish with a white mark. The complete each other," Yue said, pulling out a drawing from behind her of the pair. She allowed it to be passed around. As it passed to Katara's hands, she felt a soft tug toward the spirits, as though they could sense her through the replication.

"The legend says that the moon was the first waterbender. Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves. That is not to say that Tui is more important than La. The moon would still exist without the ocean; however, it would be a lonely existence. Tui gives our fighters and healers strength, and La gives us meaning and life. They work together to keep a balance. There is a constant push and pull between the pair, an everlasting relationship, constant. They are the epitome of unyielding energy, for they will always chase each other, always want each other, but also always need each other. Together, they make a perfect circle."

Yue had a natural story-telling voice, one that Katara imagined held the attention of children very well. Katara had never had a good voice like that.

"They live in the North Pole, at the Spirit Oasis. The water from there can heal any wound, however, it's not given out very often. It is the most sacred place for waterbenders." Yue glanced around. When she got to Katara, her voice faltered a little and she seemed apologetic. Katara understood; she had never been to the 'most sacred of places' for someone of her skills, and likely never would have if she'd stayed at home and never heard of the Prince's Choice. Maybe it wasn't fair that this site was halfway across the world, but Yue had no reason to apologize for that. Yue managed to regain the rhythm in her voice.

"Tui is the giver of powers. If he were to die, waterbenders…" Yue trailed off. Katara knew enough of the myth to know that if Tui died, she'd lose her powers. "If Tui died, waterbenders would be weaker for that moon cycle, until the balance was restored that next month."

Katara nearly coughed up her tea, but she managed to choke it back down before she drew any attention to herself. It was the first time she'd ever heard Yue tell a lie. She was surprised, frankly, that Yue didn't burst into flames that very moment for it. She hadn't even been sure Yue could lie, and that wasn't an exaggeration.

After Katara got over her initial surprise, she scrutinized Yue's face. A slight flush, a nervous tick in which Yue balled the long fabric of her dress in her fists. Katara trusted nearly everyone in this room implicitly, however, to tell anyone how to get rid of waterbending was a battle just waiting to be started. She frowned; she had never thought Yue to be politically skilled, but Katara would have done the same if she was in her position.

It was also a startling revelation that kind-toned Yue, who found reasons to like Azula, distrusted anyone. That in itself should have spooked Katara and made her wary of one if not all of the people in this room, to some extent. She made a mental note to ask Yue about this moment later.

"The pool is protected twenty-four seven, however," Yue bounced back, "By our best warriors. And, it's not like it's easy to even touch a spirit," she added, which might have been an attempt at a joke.

"I am specifically connected to the spirits," Yue continued. "I may not waterbend, but I do know them on a…" She paused. "More spiritual level."

Katara raised an eyebrow with curiosity, wondering what that sort of comment meant.

Yue gave an inward smile, nodding. "When I was born, I was very early and very sickly. My mother had much trouble conceiving at all, so it was a miracle I was alive. My father, unable to bear the loss of another child before they could live, and fearing he would have no heir, took me and my mother, in the coldest day of the winter, to the Spirit Oasis. Apparently, I was hardly breathing and my father had thought, for a moment, I had already passed on when they arrived. He laid me by the pool and prayed to the spirits to spare my life. Tui answered my parent's prayers and saved me." She touched her own chest. Katara blinked a couple times in shock. On Ji gave out a soft 'oh!', which summed up the tone in the room.

"My hair was as black as night when I was born, but Tui gave me some of his life so I may live and serve my people. As soon as he passed that on, my hair turned this color white, and it's been that way ever since." She delicately touched her braids. Katara almost laughed; it explained so much of Yue's personality now that Katara knew she was sharing her soul with a thousand year old spirit. What an honor, though, Katara thought. She was only jealous for a moment - maybe sharing a form with a spirit wouldn't be quite as cool as she thought. "Tui remains in the pool, still swimming." Yue smiled. There was a pause. Her face grew dark.

"My father worries about me constantly. After I was saved, he had a dream that one day I'd have to share Tui's place as the moon spirit. While often times, we interpret dreams metaphorically instead of literally, I know in my heart that this one has no such safeties." Yue bowed her head in acceptance.

"Well, what does 'share Tui's place' mean?" Ratana used air-quotes.

Yue raised her palms up. "I couldn't say. My mediations, nor the waterbender rituals of my tribe, have yielded an answer. Tui is cryptically silent about it, and La will not betray her love." She pursed her lips. "I imagine this; energy is not made, only borrowed from one being to the next. Tui did not summon excess life-force, but was selfless enough to give me his own. Such energy must one day be returned, as I am only borrowing it. As it is everyone's path to return one day to the earth, I will simply return to the sea, and my being will collapse back into Tui. I suppose that what it comes down to is that while all of your spirits may have a chance to be reincarnated again, I will remain in the spirit world, because in a sense, the true spirit of Yue died as a child." She shook her head. "It really is quite the mind-turner if one spends too much time on it."

"Does that upset you?" On Ji asked.

"Hardly. Tui allowed me to live. I could not ask for anything more than what he's given me, and I could think of no better thank you than to give it back one day," Yue said simply.

"Your father doesn't think it's so simple, that it won't be of old age, though?" Ratana gleaned. Katara had figured that out, although she was not about to say anything. Yue's face fell momentarily.

"Yes," she agreed cautiously, "But, who's to say what the future holds. And, he's a father, so he of course worries about me, even when there is no need." Katara noticed how expertly she handled Ratana's question.

"So, you have a spirit in you," Alcina said, "Honest talk, are you the Avatar?"

There was an uncomfortable silence for a second, a suffocating silence in which Alcina realized she may have misspoken and in which everyone else snapped their heads to Yue.

"The next Avatar was meant to be from Water Tribe…" On Ji whispered, and Katara winced.

There was a horrible moment in which Katara imagined someone, maybe Ratana, grabbing Yue and dragging her away to where Ozai may torture her, when in fact his real target had been living under his nose for years. Aang would of course reveal himself to save an innocent and-

Yue burst out laughing. "No, no! Although, you're not the first person to ask. The spirit of the Avatar and Tui are two very different forces. And, on the hierarchy, while Tui is important, the Avatar is way above him." Yue did a hand motion to show the scale. "It's...oh, as I understand it, the Avatar understands themself as a being that comes from all the previous Avatars and can, in moments, unlock knowledge. I would love it if I could summon the history of past waterbenders or chiefs, but alas I cannot. While it seems that the Avatar is the re-born incarnation of the spirits in a mortal body, I merely have a piece of a spirit in my body. It gave me life, but it didn't give me its being, because I cannot waterbend. It doesn't make much sense, but I don't know the specifics of the spirit world or how this worked," she admitted, folding her hands.

"Oh, actually, that makes sense," Ratana said, and the matter was simply dropped, miraculously. The others seemed dis-interested in pursuing the topic as well.

"I was just joking, anyway," Alcina chuckled. "Sorry if that freaked you out. I mean, obviously, the Avatar is gone by now and 100 years later, we'd probably be on an Earth avatar or something, if there was one."

"I'm fine, it's a fair thought," Yue admitted. "However, I'm sorry to disappoint. That ends my story, anyway."

"Alcina's next," Suki said. "Should we take a quick break before starting hers?"

Everyone seemed to agree to that and went off to get more food or use the ladies' washroom.

Katara found herself following Yue to her room, where Yue was placing the picture back.

"You really can't waterbend?" Katara asked, completely flabbergasted.

"Everyone thought I would. The skill hasn't been in my family for a long time, but they hoped…" She shrugged. "The healers tried to unlock it, feeling maybe it was buried somewhere, but I've accepted it," she said. "But I can feel it, deep down, so I know Tui is in me. I feel the pull of a full moon, as you probably do," she said.

Katara followed her back to the room, thinking hard. Aang, as the Avatar, was supposed to be the spirit bridge. She wondered if he could unlock the door holding Tui's gift back, since she felt like Yue should be able to feel it. That would mean pulling another person into the secret though, which she was unwilling to do. She tucked her thought away to ask Aang about later, if he even could do something like that, before she went about blabbing about it and putting Yue in a precarious situation and Aang in even more danger.

They returned to the room.

Alcina gathered the attention.

"The story I'm going to tell is about the Blue Spirit."

At her words, it seemed that some of those gathered reacted, but all very differently. Alcina pouted.

"You've all heard it before?" she asked, deflated, looking at Katara, Ratana, and Suki. Yue and On Ji leaned forward.

"Well, even if they have, I haven't," On Ji pressed.

"I haven't. I just...I think I'm thinking of something else," Katara chuckled, wondering what the chances were that there were two mythos about blue spirits?

"I haven't heard the myth, but I've heard that title before." Suki was frowning.

"From your own tribe?"

"No, no." Suki tapped her foot against the ground in frustration. "I heard it here at the palace in regards to...oh, I can't place it." She crossed her arms, "This is going to kill me."

"Ratana?" Alcina asked, looking a bit more confident in the story she was about to tell.

"Your story just relates to my story. I wonder if you know what I know. If not, I'll tell it after. I don't know the deep details about the Blue Spirit, so please, go on!"

For the first time, Katara noticed that Ratana had a scroll in front of her and was taking meticulous notes on the stories being told.

Alcina gave out a small sigh with a grin. Katara saw the girl's expression settle into a story telling mode, as she leaned forward and raised her hand to do motions.

"I come from a town that's not far from the capital, maybe a quarter of a day's journey. It's there that the story of the Blue Spirit - also known as the Dark Water Spirit - comes from," she said, dropping her voice to a hush. Katara and Yue shared uneasy looks. Alcina saw and smiled, "Don't worry, it's a love story. She is not dark because of evilness, but dark because of the depth of her mind, like a dark pond."

"She?" Katara echoed, holding back in a small scoff.

"Yes, she." Alcina didn't seem frustrated by the questions, but rather gladdened to have people interested in her story. "She's actually hailed as the true hero of this story, until...well, more on that later."

She paused for dramatic effect. Katara recalled that Alcina had been one of the girls to arrange a short thespian show on the grass a month ago, and she could see that acting was one of Alcina's talents.

"A long time ago, a time when spirits walked among us and were in a larger number than humans, in the place where my town would one day be, there ruled a Dragon Emperor. He was known to be quick to anger, impulsive, and cruel. He had come to power not by the people's choice, such as in building a shrine or honoring a lake or river, but instead by deadly force. The worst was that he saw humans as little more than disposable nuisances, so he often did not shy away from killing entire families to make a point. In his mind, he was a spirit - and one of the most honored - and therefore, the humans should properly fear and worship him. The mortals of the town resisted him, even in the face of death, even at risk of losing it all, and this made the Dragon Emperor angrier than anything else. It was said that he planned to annihilate any humans in the area which he called his own, and perhaps he would have succeeded. Perhaps I would not have been sitting here now." Alicna gave a wry smile. Katara knew that some myths were just for educational purposes, but others she had no doubt were utterly true. This is one that she wasn't sure about, but she could tell Alcina believed.

"But you are," Ratana surmised with a dry laugh.

"Clearly." Alcina bowed a little. "What stopped him was that the town had a guardian to whom they prayed and loved: The Dark Water Spirit, also known to most as The Blue Spirit. But, for sake of the story, I'll call her The Dark Water Spirit. You see, she began as a small puddle in the middle of the town, but the town nourished the water supply, for the Dragon Emperor was always causing fires. She became the people's protector. She was everything the Dragon Emperor was not; she was careful and logical, and she cared deeply for the people of the town, to the point that she mourned at the death of each one. When she became aware of what the Dragon Emperor was planning, she sacrificed all her energy to stop the Dragon Emperor. She gave the ultimate sacrifice and cursed him…" Alcina grinned wickedly. "To be mortal. To be the one thing he hated most in the world."

"Ohh!" On Ji leaned forward on her haunches, "I bet he hated that!"

"But she really died because of it?" Yue frowned. "Spirits can die, yes, but...it just seems, sad."

"She would have given her life for her town's people over and over if she could." Alcina said. "And yes, On Ji, he was furious. Alas, he was just a human man with no extraordinary skills. Since he'd always counted on the evil of others, he could do nearly nothing for himself. And worse, was the people's response to him in their midst."

"I would try to kill him," Katara snorted.

"And they did," Alcina nodded. "Try that is. They were agonized that he had caused them the loss of their beloved pond spirit. The town waited for her to return, but she did not re-appear; not in the weeks after, or the years after. At this point, he still looked like a spirit, despite the fact that he was a man in every other sense. He realized that he wanted to live, so he was forced to shed his dragon-looking face take a new name: Noren."

On Ji gasped sharply. "Oh! I think I know...oh, right." She giggled, a connection sparking that Katara didn't understand. She was grinning widely. Alcina tapped her nose, recognizing that she probably did know, but didn't say anything that spoiled it.

"Noren lived for years in the village under his new alias, under his new face. He was forced to make connections with the humans there and work to keep himself housed, fed, and clothed. Since he was made mortal with zero life skills, a young mortal girl named Kyki took pity on him and employed him at her tea shop. As the years wore on, Noren became a master tea brewer but also came to love the town. And, the most surprising of all? He loved the girl."

"Aww," Suki murmured. "Did she know?"

"That he loved her? She hoped, somewhere, for she had grown to love Noren too. He could be brash and was a little rough around the edges, and he was always warm." She chuckled. "But he was also brave and courageous, and as the years wore away his appearance, it washed away the way he'd been as a spirit. By the time he was starting to grow gray hairs, he'd humbled himself and had accepted his mortality. He had spent the last few years giving back to the community. He built a proper shrine to the Dark Water Spirit, he gave money to the less fortunate and railed against the rich. He had changed into someone that few would have guessed was ever the spirit he'd once been. Only then did he give himself one gift; he told Kyki how he felt. When they embraced, and shared their first kiss, a bright light filled the square - or so I've heard - and when it softened, when night fell once again, the Dark Water Spirit was standing in her place."

"So, she knew who he was, she had to have, right?" Katara felt herself blurting, surprised she was so into this story.

"Well, that's the thing. As Yue already explained in her story, energy - especially that of a spirit - cannot just 'poof'. So, the essence of the Dark Water Spirit was re-born in the heart of a girl. She was a teenager who had inherited her parent's tea shop by the time the mortal Dragon Emperor decided to take on a more human facade. And they found each other, in a sense. Many take this as a sign that they were always meant to be. Some wonder if the Dark Water Spirit knew and did it on purpose, so she could watch his life as a human, a mortal, to make sure he truly understood. The fact that he loved the mortal version of the Dark Water Spirit so passionately proved he was worthy of a lifted curse. The pair were restored to their immortal selves, and they are still said to watch over my town, together. As it is, we rarely see them…if at all." Alcina gave a soft smile, "But I like to think they're still there. There's a theory out there that the Royal Family comes from their family line, since firebending is born of dragon power and he was called the Dragon Emperor. I'm not sure if I believe that or not, but that's what some people say. So…" Alcina shrugged.

"I've never heard that version of it before!" On Ji commented, frowning. "In the story I know, the Water Spirit is the bad guy, er, girl."

"Yeah, exactly. Pretty much every Fire Nation child knows a version of this, and a very specific one." Alcina unfurled a paper she had been keeping rolled on her lap. It sported a pair of dragons locked in a heart shape, with a pair of masks - red and blue, the blue being a match to Zuko's - at the bottom. "Hira'a Traveling Acting Group was looking for local myths to use for their plays and picked this one up. Admittedly, much has been changed, spirits know why. The stories I heard growing up as a child honored the Dark Water Spirit as the heroine in this story, about her sacrifice and how she had always protected my town. The play decided to follow the Dragon Emperor, instead, and examine his personal journey. It also chose to give him a different lover, a 'Dragon Empress', but it never explains why the mortal he fell in love with was this dragon girl to begin with, and the Dark Water Spirit is portrayed as a horrible hag who deserves to be erased from the spirit world, erased when the Dragon Emperor gets the girl at the end." Alcina swallowed quickly. "The play was first created around the time of Sozin's rule, so I'm sure that they couldn't have a Water-Based spirit being equally as important as a dragon. No offence, but your tribes were the 'bad guys' to a lot of Fire Nation children then," she looked apologetically to Katara and Yue, "And so they made a Fire Nation spirit worthy of the Dragon Emperor. I think it's stupid and reduces the complexity from the story, but it's the only version people know now. The play is heralded as a story about love always conquering, which the original message was anyway, so…" Alcina shook her head. "I don't want to get started. I'll rant for days, if I could. I just like my town's story best." She laughed to herself, but her smile was tight in a pained sense.

Katara was inclined to agree.

"Also, fun fact, the play - which was named 'Love Amongst the Dragons' - is Fire Lady Ursa's favorite play," Alcina added after a second, shaking off her anger about the butchered myth. "I've learned to just accept that people will always get it wrong. I'm far too used to it."

Somewhere, Katara thought she might have heard Zuko mention that once or twice, that his mother adored this play.

"Well, that's really cool, I didn't know that version. Not fully," Ratana raved, "And I agree. Maybe it's because I've only ever seen the Ember Island Players version-" The reputation must have preceded this theatre troupe, because Alcina gave a very palpable shudder, "But the original makes so much more sense."

Alcina looked to Ratana, tilting her head. "You said you…knew something about it?"

"A bit. Are you done with your bit?"

"Yeah," Alcina settled back, "And now, I'm curious."

"Everyone ready to go into my story? Yeah?" Ratana looked around. Everyone shrugged, turning their attention to the dark-haired girl. "So, one of my hobbies is collecting and examining myths, which is why-" she shook the parchment. "And I've heard mostly Fire Nation myths. There's some really interesting overlap, but I'll tell mine after I tell my story. How I know your myth, a bit." She pointed to Alcina. Her fingers ran through the pages of the little booklet she had made. "Mine also comes from my hometown, so like yours, Al, it's very close to my heart."

Ratana sat cross-legged. "My town is called Jang Hui. It's a little island near the end of the Fire Nation territories. It's not…" She frowned. "A nice place to live. Not the best."

She tentatively brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "It used to be a fishing village. The biggest source of sea-food for the Fire Nation. Supposedly, around a hundred years ago, there was a great Earthquake that sank the land into the sea and we were forced to build our houses on the water. It's pretty cool, the entire town is a floating hodgepodge of wood, basically. We use boats to go places instead of carts. The Fire Nation Army came in recently, and we were so pleased to be of use to the Fire Lord. He used our river to power machines at a factory where they build weapons, but it's nearly killed the livelihood of my city. The water has become polluted and there's hardly any fish there anymore. Many people are sick, many are dying. There is little food left."

Katara swallowed hard, blinking back tears. She bit the inside of her lip, looking down. It was all too familiar of a tale, one she was frankly shocked to hear.

"Shouldn't the Fire Lord take care of you?" On Ji sounded horrified. "Does he know?"

"I don't see how he can't." Ratana shook her head. "The soldiers get food flown in, so…" She gave a grim smile, "Being here has helped."

Katara thought back to the first days. She hadn't paid much attention to Ratana, but there was a faint picture in her mind of a small and skinny girl with dusty, dry hair. Katara was pretty sure it was how she likely looked, too. After months of palace food, Ratana was still small, but her hair was shiny and her face had some color to it.

"The food I send back, it helps," Ratana added. Katara knew Ratana liked Zuko, but it seemed she shared many a similarity with the girl. "I took this chance to get away, though. I hope that I can win and never go back to that hell-hole again."

They may differ there, but Katara understood where Ratana was coming from.

"Anyway," Ratana sighed, "Whereas your city was saved, Alcina, and you know your spirits are still around, I'm still waiting for ours to help us there. I sometimes think it's all just a myth. I guess that's why I like to study myths, see which are just fanciful tales for children, and which are ones that people say happened. The deity of our town is the Painted Lady. I've never seen her, nor has anyone who's still alive. The gross fish we do catch make us see things that aren't there sometimes, so I wouldn't put it past the line that whoever did see her was just simply going mad."

"Why do you think she's abandoned you?"

"I'm not sure she chose to. You see, she's a Water Spirit. I don't think any Water Spirit could survive this. So, maybe I shouldn't be so upset. Maybe…" Ratana trailed off. "Anyway, the story of the Painted Lady goes like this; the Fire Nation Army coming in isn't a new thing for my town. Once before, years and years ago, a little after the time of the Dragon Emperor," She nodded to Alcina, "The Fire Nation Army came into town as the last stop between our nation and the Earth Kingdom. At first, things were okay. Then, the soldiers began to grow lazy or angry, and they demanded more and more of the villagers, eating them out of house and home and taking whatever they wanted. There was a young girl, nameless to us as far as I know, who one of the soldiers took a liking to. She was often seen protesting the soldiers' occupation, and one of them decided her smart mouth would be better used elsewhere. She was also extremely religious, and often prayed to any god who would listen, asking them to help her town. She prayed to all the deities, not just Fire-elemental ones, and this also was not seen as the 'proper' thing for her to do, by the soldiers. One night, when she was praying to the Water Spirit, the soldier who had decided he had to have her for himself came up upon her. She fought against him, and even as he scratched her all over, she did not break. During the struggle, the soldier slammed her head against the wall, an accident. He saw her bleeding out and left her there to die. When her family found her, she had red marks all over her body and her skin was pale and cold. Her family brought her to the shrines she'd made and prayed to all the gods, as she had always done. The gods could not save her, but after she died, they plucked her from the afterlife and took her into the Spirit World instead. When she re-appeared, she had been given immortality and Water gifts."

Ratana pulled out a book she'd marked and passed it around. There was a picture of an ethereal looking girl, hardly older than Katara, with white flowing robes, white skin, and red marks all over.

"She wears white to represent her purity at her death, and the red marks are meant to remind those that know what really happened. It's worn like war paint on her now, so eventually she gained the name 'The Painted Lady'. After coming back, she helped drive the Fire Nation soldiers out of the town. History is repeating itself, so many that I know have faith she'll return and help us now." From the wistful look in Ratana's eyes, she clearly did not believe such things.

"But how does that relate to mine?" Alcina asked.

"Okay, so, bear with me. A lot of stories overlap in strange ways around the Fire Nation. So, apparently, the Blue Spirit isn't really the Dark River Spirit herself, but is instead her son that she had with the Dragon Emperor." Ratana reached over and grabbed the scroll. "You see, he's blue because he's born of a Water Spirit mother, but he looks like a dragon because of his father. He was born mostly human, however, and he had a penchant for mischief and helping mortals when they most needed him. After his parents left for the eternal world, the Blue Spirit supposedly traveled around the world and eventually met…" She paused. "The Painted Lady. The story goes that nothing had made the Blue Spirit want to become immortal, not even his parents, until he met The Painted Lady. Since she had never gotten a happy ending in life, she was wary at first, but eventually he won her over. It's said that he was eventually killed by a knife to the gut, and The Painted Lady asked the only selfish thing she'd ever done, which was to save his life. The spirits granted her that, and I do like to think that maybe somewhere the two of them are happy. Happier than they might be if they were still here, anyway," Ratana waved a hand.

Katara bit her lip, considering Ratana's story. "Do you mind if I take this for a couple nights?" She held up the picture of the Painted Lady.

"No problem. It's from the Royal Library anyway," Ratana agreed. "And, that concludes mine."

"I'm sorry to hear about your town," Yue said honestly. "In the event you don't win, you will always be welcome at the North."

"Or with me," Alcina added, "I couldn't imagine sending you back there!"

"Thanks." Ratana rubbed her neck. "But, hopefully, I will, right?"

"Katara, still up for a story?" Yue noticed Katara carefully slipping a page-marker to the picture of the Painted Lady.

"Sure. Mine is about a tradition that we still do today to mark one's coming of age. Although, it hasn't been done in a while, due to…" For a second, after hearing Ratana's story, she almost said it. Almost said her city was dying, had been dying, but she kept it to herself at the last moment. "Due to, just, a lot of changes we're trying to get through. The Southern Water Tribe was once a large tribe with Yue's. A group decided to go off to find a place with more food, in short," Katara said. There were a whole host of other reasons why a group had decided to break away from the Northern Water Tribe so very long ago, but that was between Katara, Yue and the sister tribes, not the people here. "One man was at the helm of the expedition. He managed to get the group to the other end of the world, but he died suddenly soon after they had left behind his children, triplets, but he had failed to delegate the next leader. A bitter argument broke out between three different groups. The first born - by a minute - was a man, so he claimed that he should be the leader. The next born was a woman, and she argued that they left the North to do things differently, so she should be the leader. The last of the triplets was a man, and currently the only one married and with a child - a son. He argued that since he had an heir already, and a singular son, he should be the leader so that problems like this never happened again. As the winter blew in, the group ended up dividing itself based on who each person thought ought to be the leader, and on the Winter's Solstice, each leader set off, following a different animal with hopes that the animal would be a totem for them. It's common in my tribe to go on a spiritual journey to find the animal that will lead us to spirituality. Animals in the South each have a specific attribute associated with them, and it's said that the animal you find will be the trait of yours that is the most valuable."

"What's yours?" Suki broke in.

"I didn't get a chance to do it," Katara shrugged. Honestly, no one in her tribe had been on a spirit walk since her father was a child; they just couldn't spare the people, and food was short as it was - no sense walking into nowhere and hoping something happens.

"What about you?" Suki turned toward Yue.

"It's only a Southern thing. We don't participate in that, although we know what certain animals represent, vaguely," Yue said. Katara wondered if Yue found them silly for doing it, or if she found it cool.

"So, as I was saying, they each followed their spirit animal. The firstborn followed an owl, which represents intelligence. The daughter followed a cougar, which represents courage. The last child followed a wolf, which represents loyalty. Each of these characteristics are great on their own, but the three broken groups found it difficult to settle. The Owl Son knew how to survive in harsh conditions and where to build their huts, but he could not hunt, and his immense knowledge made it difficult for his followers to trust or connect with him. The Cougar Daughter was brave, almost to her detriment, as she did not know how to back away from a fight she could not win, and often she led her people into unnecessary situations. The Wolf Son commanded great loyalty from his people, but he was meek and often did not want to face uncomfortable situations. On the Summer Solstice, each of the animal guides re-appeared and led the siblings back to each other. They realized that they all needed the skills the other had to survive, and that they could not do it alone, so they rejoined their tribes. The siblings led as a group of three, and that's how we've always led since then. The chieftain line may come from the Wolf Son, but no single person - male or female - can lead alone. To be accepted as an adult in the Southern Water Tribe, you must go ice-dodging, and based upon your actions and reactions, you are marked as either The Wise, The Trusted, or The Brave. It also helps set you up for which job or chores you'll do most as an adult, even if we're trained in all of them. The Trusted are our warriors, because they must trust each other the most if they wish to win. Loyalty is more important than bloodthirst in battle. They wear a wolf-tail," Katara gathered some hair in her hand to show a small example, "in honor of Wolf Son. The Wise are those who are usually offered to sit on the council. The Brave are the hunters, because killing prey on the tundra can often be deadly, and they must travel farther and farther away. If someone ever wanted to lead, they'd have to fit into the pattern of one of each trait during each rule. Right now, my mother is The Trusted, my father is The Wise, and my father's childhood friend, Bato, is the Brave. Any major choices are made by the trio."

"That's such a cool way of doing things," Suki said. On Ji nodded enthusiastically.

"What are you, Katara?" she asked, "Do you hope to rule?"

"I imagine I will. It will likely be me, my brother, and whoever my brother marries. They always try to have a pair of siblings rule, preferably a set of three - to honor a bond that's not about marriage, but that's about family. I was given the Mark of the Brave and Sokka, my brother, was given the mark of the Wise," she explained. "And, that's my story," Katara finished, rubbing up her arms.

"Wow, I'm starved," Alcina said, chuckling.

"Well, look at the sky," Yue pointed out, "It's nearly dinner. We've been in here hours."

"We should wash up. Get first dibs on the meal!" Alcina agreed. Katara first took the book and slipped it carefully under her pillow. Before leaving for dinner, she took one last look at the picture of the Painted Lady. She had an idea brewing in her mind. But, she'd need to ask Zuko first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah. This wasn't the most 'action-filled' chapter, but I don't think I'd call it a filler either. I think if this were an animated TV show, this would be the episode that each story would be told in like a different animation or something lol. I found it an important chapter to tell for a couple diff reasons (although, at first I thought it would be half of a chapter and then my fingers just took over and, yep)
> 
> 1) I like exploring the world of the Avatar!Verse and being able to build up the canon we already know. Also, myths aren't talked about a ton in the Avatar world for as big as a part they play, which is just sort of odd?
> 
> 2) Puts a lot of tribes/cultures into perspective here
> 
> 3) Obviously, if you could not tell, pretty much all the stories had a strong analogy/metaphor/whatever literary technique you wanna call it, basically it points to Zutara. As it should have been
> 
> 4) Katara needed to hear about the Painted Lady some other way, since she does not go to the village, and the PaitedLady/BlueSpirit ship is also a fav of mine!
> 
> Below is a lot of my thoughts upon writing the myths, as most of it came completely from my imagination. I took the bones of much of them and then just continued to build. You can skip it if you want, but I feel for people who are like me, you might find it sort of cool. I study a lot of myths/legends/folklore in college classes, so it was fun to apply the structure I knew to myths like these. Lots of research went into stuff. So, here we go:
> 
> YUE: The story of Tui and La came mostly from canon, I didn't have to add a whole ton from that itself. I picked up some direct quotes from the episodes in which Yue appears in. HOWEVER I think that the writers, after having to re-tell her myth in my story, severely underused in possibilites. A) WHY CAN'T YUE WATERBEND WHEN SHE HAS THE LITERAL SPIRIT OF WATERBENDING AS HER LIFELINE?! This just boggles my mind. I mean, seriously. So, I tried to explain it in a way that could make sense, but it's sort of like, wtf? And, also, Tui is the male counterpart of the pair, so it's also interesting to me that Yue is so...feminine. I know that this was probably before the time that it would have been appropriate, but if Avatar was re-written in modern times, it would have been super awesome to have Yue as a transgender character, since she was born into the body of a woman but has the spirit of a man inside of her. Just sayin'!
> 
> ALCINA: I looked up the story plot from Love Amongst Dragons. Tbh, I was semi-distracted when I read the synopsis of the play that they have, so I missed that the Dark Water Spirit was supposed to be the bad guy and thought that she actually was the spirit in disguise/that had died. When I realized my mistake, I decided to leave it in there because a HUGE part of myths is how they are adapted into modern day things (ie; don't take the Norse mythology in Thor seriously by any means...) and that most of the time, yeah, it's sort of butchered. Also, in a time long before the world was so divided, I could totally see how two different bending spirits would have been together and been okay, but once the Fire Nation took over, it wouldn't have been anymore...and how Water Tribe would have been made out to be the bad guys, ya know? I also had to figure out how to make the myth of the Blue Spirit that Zuko is, since his mask comes from the play.
> 
> RATANA: There also wasn't much at all on how the Painted Lady came to be, ESPECIALLY how there was a waterbending spirit that was a patron saint of a Fire Nation town, albeit a forgotten one, but a Fire Nation town all the same. Ratana's story of it also shows that even Fire Nation citizens don't always love the Fire Nation. Hers gets a little dark, I know, but...yep. And, I decided to play up the controversy of what the real Blue Spirit actually is, because that's also common in myths...that somewhere in areas, the wires of details are crossed over and such.
> 
> KATARA: The marks of the Brave, Wise, and the Trusted was described in an episode, but once again, there was basically NOTHING else on it. But, since the Water Tribes are based upon Native American (specifically Inuit) cultures, I loved the idea that they have animal totems! So, I researched which ones would fit. It really makes me want to send Katara on a animal sprit journey...what do you all think?
> 
> Anyway, if you managed to get through all that text, thoughts? Also, as a reminder, I did post Avidfan13's drabble on wattpad, a03, and tumblr (youngbloodlex22). It's a continuation of my college!AU Zutara!


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yess I know this is late but I ended up spending an unexpected day at my fam's lake house due to car troubles, a place where Wi-fi also does not exist. So XD But, I hope everyone had an enjoyable 4th of July last week, if you live in the US that is :)

Ever since their kiss, Zuko had become like a drug to Katara. She found herself completely unable to stay away from him, to stay in her room and wait her turn for a date like every other girl. At least it seemed to be the same for Zuko, for as often as she found herself in the food cabinet, Zuko was there too. She always told herself that if she just got one more night, one more stolen moment, it would hold her over until the next time they could meet formally outside the darkness of night. That never was true. If she was being very honest about it, each moment she met him only made it harder and harder to go without seeing him again.

They kissed a couple more times, nothing past soft and gentle. Katara could live with that. Zuko had never kissed anyone, so it was up to him to set the pace. She wasn't going to force him. Besides, even just getting those soft pecks soothed her in a very unexpected way.

Somewhere, they both knew this couldn't keep up. Someone would notice his absence one night, and it wouldn't take a genius to figure it all out. She would be putting herself in the danger of Ozai's wrath. Or, she'd have to make a decision hastily to ensure her absolute protection, such as saying 'yes' to Zuko and telling him to stop the competition so he could take his place as Fire Lord. Once he was the Fire Lord and she was, theoretically, Fire Lady, Ozai would have far fewer means to push her out.

But it wasn't that simple.

Katara didn't like thinking about the future of this, of them. She didn't like the way Zuko brought it up.

For Katara, going home was still the plan, eventually. Her tribe still needed her. Things were fixed for the moment, but it would be all too soon that the increase in food and supplies wouldn't be enough anymore, or that something big and awful would happen. She couldn't abandon her people for a boy, especially not when that was never the plan to begin with.

But she wasn't ready to give up Zuko, either. She told herself that she'd dated very casually before, so this should be no different. Except, Zuko didn't see it as casual. And, truth be told, it was far different than any other relationship she'd ever had.

If she was really forced to consider it, she'd say that her plan was to enjoy this - them - as long as she possibly could. She was sure she made it clear to Zuko that her being here with him, was not her submitting her acceptance of giving her hand in marriage. If she could have things her way, she would stay until the second to last person and then let Zuko marry the winner, hopefully someone Katara approved of. They'd continue being friends, because she couldn't imagine Zuko not being in her future in some way. She'd foster relations between her tribe and the Fire Nation, and things would be good.

She was afraid of Zuko's growing attachment to her. She was afraid of her growing attachment to him. There was a flicker of a question; what if she couldn't let him go? Well, that was simply unacceptable, since they both had jobs to do.

She also recognized that it might not only be herself in danger, but Zuko too. Every day that he drew out the competition to get another day with Katara was a day that Azula had to plan her coup. It wasn't even an 'if' but a 'when' Azula would try to overthrow him. She was too crazy not to try.

Katara had made a promise to Toph, and even more so, a promise to herself. At the first sign of danger to Zuko's life, the first moment she felt like Azula might actually have the ability to pull something truly dangerous together or that Ozai decides Azula would may be a better ruler (which, honestly, was rubbish), Katara would press Zuko to choose a wife, end the competition, and ascend to the throne. She couldn't bear the thought of being so selfish that she would hold Zuko's life in front of him for her own feelings.

All Katara had to do, if that didn't happen, was hold her feelings close - but not too close - and offer companionship to Zuko. Enjoy this time that they did have and not obsess over a future that, with so many girls still remaining, seemed very far away.

She hadn't been planning on meeting Zuko the night after the myths were told. She'd told herself they both deserved a good night's rest, until she had heard the story of the Painted Lady. In all honesty, it was nothing pressing to ask him. In truth, it was just a well-curated excuse to go out.

She flipped through the pages of the book nonchalantly as she sat, waiting for Zuko. He'd been very busy with many different things lately, so although it was past midnight, Katara didn't think he wouldn't come. He'd told her that he checked every night (passing it off as a routine surveillance) just in case.

"Katara, hi," he said, coming up and kissing her temple. She stood fully and saw the bags under his eyes. He stifled a yawn and Katara frowned.

"Haven't you been sleeping?" she said.

"I got up before dawn today to practice, since I knew I would be meeting with different dignitaries about the trade plans today," he shrugged.

"You should sleep! I'll keep it short, since I feel bad that you're up to see me," Katara promised.

"Katara, I always will find time to see you." He ruffled her hair and gave a shrug. "Don't worry about it."

Katara couldn't help but worry. Zuko would drive himself into the ground if he kept this up. His well-being was enough to make Katara firmly tell herself that for at least five days she would not return here, so he could rest.

"Well, I actually had an idea," Katara said, flipping back to a page in the myth book. "So, yesterday, a group of girls were sharing myths from their towns. Know her?" she asked, turning the page to him.

"Uhh," Zuko rubbed the back of his neck, squinting at it, "Not sure. I don't think so."

"She's called the Painted Lady. And, apparently, she has a thing...like a romantic thing...with the Blue Spirit," she said, looking pointedly at Zuko. "You've always said you wanted to get me a more proper costume. The best part? She's a Water Spirit from the Fire Nation."

"You don't say?" Zuko rubbed his chin, and using his free hand, ran his finger over the picture. "What's her story?"

Katara retold Ratana's tale, all the details. She also mentioned, in a very abridged fashion, the relation to the Blue Spirit.

"I think you should also look into Ratana's hometown," Katara finished, "I can't help but feel for her."

"I would love to fix it." Zuko looked distressed. "But I don't have much pull with the military yet. My father controls them. I might be able to have Uncle pull something, but it's not going to be an easy fix."

"I'm not saying it should be. But, maybe just remember it for when you do become Fire Lord?" Katara pointed out. "But I was thinking, maybe I could start going out with you, dressed as her?"

Zuko looked at the picture more closely, "We already have red paint," he began, thinking hard. "The rest shouldn't be a huge hassle to get, either. If this is what you think you want to be, I'm not saying no. I think I pretty much can't say no to you," he added with a chuckle.

"Stop," Katara blushed, rolling her eyes. "But, yes, I do. Something about her story really connected with me. I don't know. Maybe it's because I feel like Ratana's town isn't too far off from how mine is. Maybe I like the idea that she's associated with the Blue Spirit," she added, tilting her head.

"It's interesting. Her markings look like Sun Warrior markings, you know?" Zuko was so engrossed in the picture he seemed to not acknowledge or hear her subtle flirting. Then again, Zuko hardly recognized subtle things.

"Sun Warriors?" Katara echoed.

"I've never seen one personally, but I've seen some ancient scrolls. They were the first Firebenders. They learned it from dragons. They died out a long time ago, sadly. I can try to find a picture, but they have a scroll up in the Sozin's Hall," Zuko said.

"Oh, no, I think I know what you're talking about," Katara frowned. Sozin's Hall, better known around the palace as the 'Hall of Histories' was a long and gilded hallway between the main parts of the palace to the Royal Family's quarters. They had lengthy and very delicately painted scrolls hanging from the wall that showed the history of the Fire Nation. One of them, the one that Katara passed most often if she was traveling that way, was a scroll with a group of semi-naked people with painted markings on their face that yes, were not un-similar to those worn by the Painted Lady. Katara wondered if it was truthfully what the Painted Lady was meant to look like, or if the artist of the book took some artistic license and created it with a familiar element.

"Either way, I just hadn't ever heard that one." Zuko snapped the book and looked at the spine. "This mine?"

"The palace's, yeah," Katara agreed, because if it was the palace's, it was basically Zuko's. He hummed, tucking the book back into his robes. Katara hoped Ratana didn't need it for anything else.

"So, I've been thinking a lot about what you said," Zuko began.

"On which topic?" Katara had said much to Zuko since becoming his friend. He could be talking about literally anything.

"That I still have to be part of this competition. I think I've started to make a list of who I might send home soon."

Katara was slightly relieved to hear that, but also very pained. Each girl sent home was closer to the end of this.

"Really?"

"I've made a lot of lists considering it." Zuko gave a wry smile. "I don't want to do a whole bunch at once, overwhelm the girls, but there's quite a few that I do believe I can begin to eliminate in time," he said.

"Ah." Internally, Katara hoped Nadhari was on the list. She opened her mouth. Should she tell him about Nadhari and the ball, even though she'd promised not to? Nadhari had been a near-perfect model contestant ever since the incident, which was freaking all the girls out, but she hadn't put a toe out of place. Katara closed her mouth.

Also, did she really want to know who? Wouldn't she just find out? And if Zuko was sending home a girl that Katara liked, who was she to convince him out of it?

Overall, she decided to keep quiet. She let Zuko go (more to say, she shoved him out) back to his room to sleep not very long after and went back to her own room. Aiga was dusting off a few things, realizing that Katara was almost never in her room at night and taking advantage so she could have more free time the next day.

"Any letters?" Katara asked, holding her hair up so that Aiga could unfasten her dress.

"No, I'm sorry."

Katara breathed out through her nose in a rush. Sokka's letters had been less frequent in the last couple days, and her parents' as well. He still wrote letters, which told her that something apocalyptic hadn't happened, but he wasn't very forthcoming about events anyway. It was worrying Katara. Her parents assured her that it was nothing and that Sokka had just gained a new responsibility at the camp so he was very tired and very determined to prove himself, and not to worry. She couldn't expect Sokka to be always waiting, twiddling his thumbs and waiting for the messenger hawk to arrive, of course. However, she'd grown used to daily correspondences and the lack of letters made her feel a little blue.

It wasn't anything worth getting more upset over, so Katara tried to brush it from her mind as she laid down to sleep.

Within the next two days, Zuko did exactly as he'd claimed and let the first person go in a very long time: June. June seemed to have known it was coming, for she hardly put up a fuss. Iroh seemed more heartbroken about than Zuko, the pair of them having apparently bonded. She pointed out she was always just a letter away, and that Nylah loved Iroh, so he was free to visit them whenever he could.

According to Zuko, there were many things that led to this choice. She was a little older than him, which wasn't a huge deal, but it did affect something in a big way - children. The goal of Zuko getting married was to have an heir eventually. While she hadn't outright said to Zuko that she didn't want kids, apparently she'd let it slip to a few of the maids that she would have a kid and be done with it and would leave the child-rearing mostly up to the help.

"If my father had his way, that's how I would have been raised. My mother fed us herself, which is unheard of," he explained to Katara in a letter, since she was firm about not meeting him at night for a couple moons. "I want to be a father. I want to be a good father, at that. I want my child to have a good mother too. I don't dislike June as a person, but I think we both realized she wasn't fit to be a mother anytime soon. Even if she were, just not in the capacity I'm looking for.. Truth of it is, whoever I marry does need to be a mother soon."

That for sure got Katara thinking. She'd always been so busy with her tribe and helping with the children of others she hadn't thought much about her own. She didn't have an overwhelming desire to have a kid right now (unlike some of the girls here, who were going through 'baby fever', as Toph called it) but she also wasn't opposed to having a kid.

She told Zuko he'd make a great father one day, and she meant that. She was glad she could write Zuko, since the letters from Sokka continued to be sparse.

After Zuko let June go, during every date he went on, the rest of the girls sat with baited breath. Was he going to release another girl? Was this date a final one between him letting someone go or stay? Did this one have to matter more than some of the others?

For not the first time in the competition, Katara was glad she didn't have to worry about her position. Of course, the last time this happened, she was telling herself she didn't like Zuko…

A part of Katara waited for another girl to go, too. She found herself just as anxious as the others girls.

The fifth night after she'd last spent alone time with Zuko, he took Mai on a date. Katara hoped with all her heart he was going to send Mai home, as he'd done with June. He'd given June one last good memory before sending her packing. In Katara's mind, Mai was the logical next person to cut, if he were going off motherly skills. If Katara couldn't imagine June as a mom, she didn't even think Mai should have any kids. She'd be a dreadful mother, Katara told herself with a wince. She'd be the sort of Fire Lady mother Ozai would have approved of, she thought. Since Mai never showed affection to anyone, Katara doubted her own children would even fall into that category. Zuko had to know that and couldn't want that for the mother of his future child.

Around 6pm, too early for dinner and for the girls to be returning for curfew, there was commotion in the Ladies' Room. To Katara, it could only mean one thing. As not to seem too eager to watch Mai packing her things, Katara forced her legs to a normal pace and tried to seem as blasé as possible as she entered the room.

It wasn't the mood she expected; after June had left, half the girls had been elated and the other half concerned about their own positions. Most of the girls had felt like Zuko was making decisions and that brought them a step to winning.

The mood in this room was ultimately one-toned: despair and wailing. It seemed only Ty Lee was grinning broadly, a reaction that Katara didn't like one bit under these circumstances. Mai was at the center of it all, looking a smidge past emotionless.

Before Katara could ask anyone to clarify the situation, Toph stormed in.

"Spirits! What is with all the constant moving about in here? You'd think there was a stampede of ostrich-horses! Can't a girl meditate in private?" she snapped, more surly than usual. By 'meditate', Katara was sure she meant slather herself in mud.

The entire room quieted, looking at Toph. Ty Lee broke the silence with a generous grin. "Zuko kissed Mai! The first kiss of the competition!"

This sent all the girls into a tizzy again, one that Katara found herself joining in with. While all the girls were spiraling with depression and self-conscious thoughts, Katara only felt anger pushing itself onto her.

"It was so sweet! Zuko told Mai about how she was his first friend and how much that means to him and it was completely unprompted and-" Katara could take no more of Ty Lee's bright face and romantic hand gestures, so she turned swiftly, leaving the loud room behind.

"Shit," she heard Toph murmur. Her friend scurried after Katara, out the door.

"It's bullshit, it is!" Toph told Katara, as Katara slammed her door open to the patio area.

"She was lying? About the kiss?" Katara began, starting to feel a little better and very silly. Mai probably would be the person to lie about that, to fluster the competition.

"Ah, crap," Toph winced, "No, that's true...Mai's blushing under it all. I meant that it was the first kiss of the competition. Why don't you go back in there and tell them? You know what? I will. Anything to wipe that secret smirk off Mai," Toph announced, starting to turn.

Katara grasped her wrist. "Can't, remember?" she said, tonelessly. Toph stiffened then scowled. To admit that Katara had been his first kiss would only cement feelings, feelings that would get back to Ozai or Azula and could put her in danger very easily.

"Oh," Toph frowned. "Well, you know the truth. He likes you."

"Do I?" Katara snapped, "Because here Zuko is going and kissing Mai not even a week after that ball!" She didn't know why she was so angry. All she knew is she felt betrayed, like someone had stomped all over her chest.

"That's just stupid." Toph leaned against the wall. "Wait...where are you going?"

Katara had brushed past her into her room, grabbing things.

"I feel like I need to go and punch some things, Toph. Freeze something, maybe," she snapped, finding her practice clothes. It had been the set Zuko had given her on their date to the arena. Even seeing the outfit filled Katara with a mix of longing and of anger.

"Sweetness," Toph jumped between her and the door, "I will always advocate to knock a head or two in response to anything, but that's my point. That's my thing. You're not like that," she said.

"I'm not going to go murder Zuko in his sleep," Katara said. "I'm just going to go and hit things with water, Toph." All she wanted to do was lose herself in her forms and get some frustration out.

"Fine." Toph moved aside after a moment, feeling the truth. "But-"

"Please," Katara whispered, almost begging, "Not right now."

Toph watched her go with narrowed eyes, shaking her head. She saw Toph turn back toward the Ladies' Area. Usually, Katara would be concerned about what Toph's course of action would be, but tonight she found she couldn't care less.

Katara shoved the rest of her bending things in a small bag and stormed through the palace. She saw a couple of guards and handmaids regard her carefully, but upon seeing the fire burning in Katara's eyes, they let her go through. She wondered how long it would be until Aiga was seeking her out, brining her calming tea.

She went through the side-door into the changing area, but it wasn't until she was hanging up her dress that she saw a set of Fire Nation clothes on the first hook. Maybe it was Aang out there, and she could convince him to spar her. Maybe she'd be lucky and it was Azula, and she could really let out her frustrations.

Katara tied her hair up. Seeing the clothes only revved her up more, winding her anger tighter. She stalked out to the center area to see...Zuko.

She should have just turned around right there. Logical Katara wouldn't have engaged him. Logical Katara would have realized she was being over-emotional. Logical Katara, if she really needed to stay, might have tried to use her words.

But the Katara who had let her heart open to Zuko wasn't Logical Katara right now, so she stalked out to him with the rage of a thousand suns, the sort of rage that propelled firebenders.

"You!" she snapped, fists shaking. She was too upset to even summon water from the bins and knock him off her feet like she so wanted.

"Katara," Zuko frowned. Katara shoved at his chest, hard. He stumbled back a couple of paces but did not fall.

"You kissed Mai?" The screech echoed around the empty arena. "Mai?" she repeated.

"You heard," Zuko winced.

"So it's true? What, did you think I'd never hear? That it wouldn't get around to literally everyone?" Katara demanded.

"Katara, are you...upset with me?" Zuko was somewhere between confused and angry himself. His eyes worked over Katara's body, as though trying to read a secret language.

"Agni, Zuko, yes I'm upset with you!"

"Why?"

"Why? You have to ask why?" she said. Usually, Zuko was so soft with her, so caring that he melted and did what she said. So, she was shocked to find frustration marring his face and causing him to stalk forward to face her.

"Yes, I kissed Mai. Do you suddenly have a problem with that?"

"Five days ago you were kissing me!" Katara hissed lowly, angry that she had to remind him of that.

"Five days ago you were telling me that there was still a competition for me to consider. Have you forgotten? You encouraged this," he reminded. The fact that he was right, that Katara did tell him something along those lines, only infuriated her more.

"Well, I didn't tell you to kiss _her_." Katara was right up in his face, rising up on the balls of her feet to be almost his height. Had he kissed any of the other girls, Katara told herself, that would have been fine. She might have been happy, had it been the right girl. Had it been Nadhari, Katara may have been disgusted. Had it been Bhairavi, Katara would have been worried for his mental sanity, but once again not mad. Because it was Mai, however, Katara was livid. It was something about the fact that she'd been his best friend long before Katara ever knew him. It was something about the fact that everyone had been so sure Mai would win before the competition had ever began. It was something about the arrogance that Mai had shown in the Ladies' Room, beneath her usual scowl. It was just Mai.

"Oh, so now I have to run everything by you?" Zuko pushed down on her shoulders, sending her back to her couple inches below his head. Something about that motion grated on Katara's nerves. "Suddenly, I have to get permission? Or should you make me a list of who it's acceptable for me to show affection to?"

"Can Mai even feel affection, or is she just an empty vessel?" Katara asked, crossing her arms. 

"That's rude, and you know it! Mai was my friend once, and part of her still is, so you apologize," Zuko demanded.

"Of course, your highness," Katara mocked in an icy tone, "Shall I kiss your feet while I'm at it?"

She could see Zuko ball his fists, as steam rose from his body. She had crossed a line with him, something she knew she'd regret much later, but right now she could not be tempted to apologize.

"After the ball, when they learned I hadn't kissed anyone, something was going to come of it, and you know it. And I can't go around telling my father I kissed you," Zuko said, his voice eerily calm for how his body betrayed his anger. "My father worried I was like- well, he was not too happy with the reveal."

"So Mai is what, a distraction?" Katara asked. "Tell me, look me in the eye and tell me you feel nothing towards her."

There was a pause. "You think I could kiss anyone I don't like?" He sounded apologetic, and somewhere, Katara knew he was too honorable to play around with a girl he had zero affections for.

"I wish you would just lie." Katara turned around to storm off, but Zuko's voice stopped her.

"I'd stop the whole competition right now if you accepted my marriage proposal. You know that," he called after her. "You fucking know that. But you've made it abundantly clear that it's never going to get to that. I'm not one to give up, Katara, but you keep telling me that I have to keep playing the game. I have to start trying to accept that you'll never say yes, and at the end of the day, I still have to pick to marry one of these girls. I'll never get close to that if I keep the entire group of competitors at an arm's length away." Katara did not turn, but she paused. She tried to control her breathing. "So, if you want this to stop, tell me to stop it. Tell me to stop it all right now, and you know I will."

Katara clenched her eyes, holding back tears and trying to keep her shoulders from shaking. There was a dry laugh from behind her.

"Yeah," Zuko said, almost wistful. His voice wasn't full of rage anymore, just was quiet and cold. "That's what I thought."

She felt him brush past her, and it was as though he took all the heat from the arena the moment he left. Katara waited far too long to open her eyes, but when she did, she just felt her legs turn to jelly and she fell on her knees in the middle of the arena.

She'd acted so stupidly. A part of her wanted to force herself to stand and run after him, apologize for the way she'd acted. She was always telling him that she wouldn't be saying yes in the end. She had told him that there was still a competition, and in turn, that he should act that way. She had more or less encouraged this. She also had no right to dictate who he chose to do it with, not when she was holding out on him. She couldn't ask that of him.

The part that kept Katara grounded was the fact that she was still angry, and she still ran the fight over in her head. She'd never heard such malice in Zuko's tone. However, there wasn't anything for Zuko to apologize for, if maybe only about the tone, but not much else. But she couldn't pull herself up to say sorry, not yet, not now.

"Kat?"

Katara was clear-headed enough to summon water from the bins and freeze the door shut. If It was Zuko coming back, she wasn't ready.

There was a squeak of surprise. "Katara! It's me, Aang."

Katara breathed in hard, wiping the tears from her face and melting the ice away. Her limbs felt heavy.

"How'd you-"

"Toph found me first, concerned. Then I passed Zuko. He had, uh, some choice words." Aang winced. "I've rarely seen him so wound up. Well, angry, yeah - Zuko's angry all the time. Like this? Maybe I should just stop talking, though…" Aang trailed off, seeing her, puddled on the ground.

"He kissed Mai," Katara said, as though that explained it all. It explained a lot.

"He's angry with you," Aang said. "I'm not gonna lie. Pissed."

"Yeah, well." Katara wasn't in any mood to deny that. "Well," she repeated, more of a statement than a question or a starter.

Even so, the anger was draining, just leaving her upset. Mostly upset at her own actions, but too proud to admit it.

"Katara?" Aang asked softly. She sniffled, drawing her legs to her chest. A deep loneliness settled over her, one that she could not properly place. She had friends; Aang being here showed her that. Yet, it was a pull to something else.

"Katara, do you think you might be so upset he kissed Mai, because you're in love with him? Not just that you love him, but in love?" he asked, crouching down next to her.

"I…" Katara stuttered. "I…" She frowned, the pull inside her heart harder. Not necessarily for Zuko, though, which surprised her. She realized what it was with an ache.

"I miss my brother," she admitted though heaving back tears. "I want to talk to Sokka, not through letter, but face-to-face. He's a pain, but he's my pain, and he's always been there for me. I've talked through a lot of tough stuff with him, and he's done that with me too. We were the kids of the chief, so we always had a target on our back, sort of. We learned pretty quickly that it was us against the world, and it's been like that for eighteen years. He would have talked some sense into me, or he would have gone and punched Zuko for me, but either way I wouldn't have been here, crying in the dirt." Katara couldn't help the tears now. "Toph and Suki and Yue are good replacements sometimes, but it's just not the same. He hasn't been writing as much. He fixed a lot of my problems when we were younger and I always hated it, feeling like he was treating me like a little kid, but right now I'd do anything to have him fix this," she admitted. She hadn't ever truly realized how much she relied on her brother, how much she really loved him, until she was gone now. She'd always recognized they were close, but until this moment? She wished she'd told him, in some way. She wished she could tell him now, to see his blue eyes, eyes that matched her own.

She missed her mom and dad too. She missed everything about the South. She'd done a very good job of locking it away, her homesickness. The girls from the North and the food around here fixed the moments when it began to leak out, but she knew this day was coming. The day when the box could hold no more memories and she really thought that this was the first time she'd ever left home.

Her home.

Aang patted her shoulder, awkwardly at first, before sighing and slinging an arm over her shoulder. He was a good listener as Katara, hardly able to talk through the tears and mucus running down her face, told stories about how Sokka and her were back home. He even let Katara use his robe to blow her nose. He didn't bring up the fact that she hadn't answered his original question at all. He was a good friend.

Despite it, Katara couldn't help but wish it was Zuko comforting her. If she thought about it, she would still be angry and would dismiss the thought, but it always found its way back into her mind.

"I'm sorry about all that," Katara whispered after a long while. "I didn't mean to do that in front of you. Cry."

"Seemed like you needed to. It wasn't just about Zuko," Aang pointed out. "I get it."

"Oh. I guess you must really miss home, don't you?"

"I don't even know where home is anymore." Aang's lips pulled down. "Sometimes I feel like it's not the Air Temples, or here, and so I don't know where that puts me. I guess I'm supposed to be a spiritual leader, so my home is in the world we can't see," he said, "But as a sixteen year old, that blows."

Katara recalled Yue, and the discussion they'd had about having Tui inside of her.

"Supposed to?" she asked, thinking over Aang's words.

"Yeah, I'm, uh...I'm not as connected with the Spirit World as I might like to be, or as others think I should be." Aang winced, running his fingers through his shaggy black hair.

"Why not?"

"Lots of reasons." Aang let out a frustrated breath. "I was told I was the Avatar at 12, which is super young. I never really got the proper training for it at the Air Temples, and I sure as hell don't have it now. I don't know what I'm doing. I've only entered the Avatar State, the state in which I've connected with the Spirit World, once."

"What happened?"

"I'd just found out my entire race had been wiped out. I was at the Air Temple with Zuko and I went a little berserk. There wasn't much left of the North Side of the Air Temple once I was done," he admitted with guilt lacing every word. To know that not only was his culture gone but that he'd been part of erasing what was left? Yeah, that had to hurt. "All I felt was rage. If that's the Spirit World, I don't want back in." He shook his head firmly.

"How'd you get out of it?" she asked.

"I don't really recall," Aang knit his eyebrows, "Not the specifics...but..." He took Katara's fingers to the back of his head. Beneath his hair, Katara felt the raised outline of a scar.

"Who-"

"Zuko," Aang clarified. "Oh, don't look like that. It's good that he managed to knock me out. I might have destroyed more than what I did. He was terrified when it happened. He didn't know how to stop me. I wasn't exactly in a state to listen to logical thinking. I think he managed to get behind me somehow, but, we don't talk much about that day."

"And you've never tried again?"

"I'm afraid I'd level this whole place. I might kill Ozai and Azula, which they probably deserve - some would say - but I don't want to kill anyone! Plus to think of all the innocents that would just get caught up…" Aang shuddered.

"Oh."

"Why?" Aang asked cautiously.

"Well, we were telling stories the other day and Yue...she…" Katara began to go through the story about how Yue was saved as a child and her connection to a spirit. "And I just know that she should be able to waterbend, but I think it's locked somewhere, and you were the only person I knew that might be able to get it out."

"I'd love to help." Aang sounded utterly regretful, "I would, but I just don't know if I can. I'm so sorry." He looked down dejectedly. "I'm a failure as the Avatar."

"No, it was a long shot to ask," Katara insisted. "You're only sixteen. The fact that you've done anything as the Avatar is incredible, Aang! You're pretty good at firebending, so there are only two elements left."

"Stop, you don't have to just say that to make me feel better," Aang said, but his voice was a little lighter.

"It's what friends are for," Katara insisted firmly, "And you know I'd do anything to help you."

"I do, I know," Aang nodded. "Ah, do you feel a little better?"

"Yeah," Katara sighed. Her stomach grumbled and she realized she must have missed dinner. "I think I'm going to go back to my room and see if Aiga can go get me some food. I'm not really in the mood to waterbend right this second."

Aang nodded, patting her back.

She came back to her room, limbs heavy and just feeling sort of crappy.

"There you are!" Aiga was waiting for her. "The other workers said it looked like you were on a warpath today."

"You know all the gossip. You have to know." Katara didn't really want to spell it out again.

From Aiga's pulled face, she knew that Zuko had kissed Mai.

"Are you-"

"I'm fine," Katara said curtly. "Just a little bruised, emotionally. Zuko and I had a fight. It didn't end on a good note." She shook out her thoughts. "Can you manage to get me some soup or something? I missed dinner."

"Of course, Katara," Aiga said, helping her into her bed and setting a pot of tea next to her. "I'll be right back."

She was back very swiftly, and in that time, Katara had really only gone back and re-read the notes from Sokka, wishing he could just be here, sitting on her bed right now.

"Princess, Zuko also gave me this this morning for you. I hadn't seen you until now. Even if you fought, I'm sure he'd still want this given to you," she said, placing a parcel in Katara's fingers.

"What is it?" Katara asked. Aiga gave an 'I-don't-know' shrug.

"Do you wish me to stay? I can bring my work in here. It's no inconvenience," Aiga offered kindly.

"Actually, I think I'd rather just be alone. I'll be perfectly fine. I just need to go to sleep," she said. Aiga waited to make sure Katara ate everything, and just as she was leaving, Katara opened the package.

Inside was a costume for the Painted Lady, more beautiful than Katara could have imagined. But, it was lightweight and had additions to make it perfectly useful for running through the night in.

There was a note from Zuko, asking if she'd like to go tonight. The note curled something in Katara's chest, be it guilt or anger or sorrow.

Crying had released a lot of the anger and frustration, but not all of it.

"Wait, Aiga...do you think you could sent a message to Zuko?" Katara asked, scribbling something on a piece of parchment.

"Of course, my lady," Aiga said. Katara waited to try on the outfit. She saw Aiga's eyes look it over, but the handmaid did not question it. Katara wondered if Aiga knew exactly what it was for.

Aiga returned with a sealed note from Zuko. Katara insisted she leave before opening it.

The answer was short.

_Princess Katara,_

_I'm unavailable tonight._

_Prince Zuko_

The formalness and the curtness of the note stung more than his words today, because she knew it meant he was truly upset. Katara angrily balled the note. She knew that unless she sent a very lengthy apology, he would not let up in his anger. And even if Katara knew that, she wasn't quite ready to erase everything from today yet.

Now that she was keyed up again, Katara couldn't imagine just going to sleep. No, she'd stay up all night.

Katara tried on the outfit again; it was perfect. Before she even knew what she was doing, Katara had dipped her fingers into the paint pots and was making her face as pale as the moon, carefully drawing the red marks over her cheeks.

And Katara really looked the part.

Standing there, unwilling to go to bed and take off the outfit that felt so right on her body, Katara unlocked the door to the courtyard.

Her feet knew what she was doing before her mind did, but once she had caught up, the choice was cemented in her mind.

Zuko wasn't going to go out as the Blue Spirit with her tonight? Perfectly fine, Katara would go on her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah. I ended up sending home June. Originally, in my plans, the top ten (or the Elite) were just going to be the non-OC/canon characters. HOWEVER some of them, I think at this point, have more of a claim than some of the canon ones. And when I really thought about it, I hadn't really any plans with June that were needed in the compeition, so sorry June, you get the ax. This doesn't mean she might never show up again. All the cut girls could possibly re-appear other places, during other times. I already have plans for someone to re-appear in book 2! (which, I finally THINK i might have a title for...I might keep it close to me rn, until I'm completely sure and all)
> 
>  
> 
> In other news, I posed another story, for the show 'Riverdale'. It's a Sweet Pea/Betty Zombie!AU, so if you like Riverdale, maybe go check that out?
> 
> And I'm sorry they had to fight, but things can't ALWAYS be sunshine and rainbows between them! Hopefully ya'll don't hate me XD


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today (July 19th) is the 10th anniversary of the last episode of Avatar (from the original series) airing! What a great time to update the story :) In the bottom's A/N I'll explain why it took like four extra days to update...
> 
> Lots of you seemed to take Zuko's side, which personally I think that he's the less guilty of the two. I mean, I think they both could have not said some stuff but let's be honest, they're both highly explosive people and fights do happen, even when people are meant to be. Couple of you sided with Katara, which I found interesting, but either way, this fight was brewing for awhile.

The day had been hot, as it often was, but the night had brought in a deep rain. It left the city feeling muggy and sticky, and steam rose from the cobblestones, settling into a mist so thick Katara thought someone could cut it with a sword. Luckily, on Katara's first night out masquerading as a spirit, this created the perfect illusion. Katara wanted to look ethereal in these garbs, magical even. She wanted to be one with the strength of the Painted Lady that Ratana had described in her myth. Her white robes whirled around her and she wondered if, when people saw her, she would look like she was floating over the ground.

Getting outside the palace was easy enough. She spent the first hour or so of the night practicing her movements in this new ensemble; making sure her hat stayed secure, learning how to hoist herself up without getting the hems of her dress snagged, and just general movements that made her look dignified now that she wasn't going to be wearing pants anymore. Her Red Spirit costume was easier to maneuver in, yes. However, she felt better as the Painted Lady, and she wished Zuko could be around to see her like this.

She scowled. She was going to try her best not to think of Zuko at all tonight and do what she set out to do...to make a difference.

However, Katara quickly realized that a great many things reminded her of Zuko out in the city. And, most annoyingly, Katara almost admitted that she needed Zuko with her. She would not say that, but she would say that she felt a little unsure, a little lost in her actions.

Katara was a logical person, but the set-up of the lower rings of the Fire Nation Capitol was completely illogical, making it difficult to determine where she was going compared to where she had come from. The upper rings were planned in neat, mathematical circles and routes that were worthy of the Fire Nation's intelligence. The lower ring had been completely abandoned by the architects, though, who left the people there to work things out. Therefore, the streets were jagged, the houses were lopsided, and half of the pathways just went in an irregularly shaped circle.

She recalled Zuko said he'd spent just a year learning the pathways. Katara could see how it would take someone at least that much time.

She'd always been following Zuko when they went out, so she hadn't paid much attention to memorizing the ways that he'd taken her. This was her first roadblock.

The second one was that Zuko had always taken control of who they'd be giving food to or what they'd be doing. Katara did feel a little out of place to even think about making such choices in a city that was not her own. Plus, she realized once she got out of the palace that she hadn't brought anything to give.

She was far too proud to admit defeat and go home, so Katara figured there had to be other ways she could help the city. She thought about what she'd done at home, or what skills she could give to the people here.

She quickly crossed out the idea that she'd go look for criminals to catch. She didn't have any weapons on her, and fighting in a full-length skirt would be horrendous, to say the least. Plus, even if she did catch or stop someone, she didn't have a good enough rapport with the Fire Guards to get them to arrest the criminal. She didn't even know where they were stationed!

She was fairly good at building structures, but this was not the South, so the Fire Nation made their houses out of wood, not ice. And, even if Katara could stumble her way through using trial and error, she didn't have the time to rebuild even one house.

As she was thinking through her options, she leaned against one of the walls of a building. Despite the heavy rains in the area, her fingers still came back nearly blackened with soot and mud. Most of the houses were filthy.

Katara looked at the pools of rain gathering in buckets and dips. The water was mostly fresh and clean. She thought she could try to clean some houses, as long as she wasn't seen. Sure, it wasn't as monumental as giving food, but a clean outside of a house could go a long way. It might encourage the people to keep it clean, or for others to do the same. It wouldn't hold the stenches it held currently, once the filth was washed away. In general, it was a very small action that Katara felt in control of enough to make.

Katara spent the next couple of hours hosing off houses to the best of her ability, ducking and hiding from voices before continuing. It was very slow work, but the efforts were stunning. She was shocked to discover that many of the houses had remnants of gold or red-gilded paint that had just been covered by time and a lack of care. This made her even more determined to clean as many houses as she could as the Painted Lady.

It wasn't glamorous, but Katara hoped that when the owners of these houses woke up tomorrow, they would be thrilled by the small change.

It was at the fifth house of the night that Katara found a boy. She hid from him at first, but when all she heard were low moans and not much else, she came forward.

He had been leaning against a pile of bags, but at the moment, he was slumped forward onto the muddy path, letting low keening sounds and panting hard.

He was obviously injured.

Katara fought with herself for a long time. It was in her nature to want to help him, and she felt the compulsion. However, she did not want to be seen so obviously, and if she dragged him to a medical center, she would be questioned. Or, just as bad, if she dropped him at the door, no one would care for him anyway, since his torn clothes told Katara he was poor.

Maybe if he were an adult she'd go, so she told herself. Maybe it was because he was so young that Katara could not just walk away. Or, maybe, she was too good of a person to not stop and help someone in need.

He was hardly conscious when she touched his shoulder. She turned him onto his back and stifled a gasp; yellowing bruises marred his skin, and deeper purples ones showed that he had endured a continual beating. His leg looked to be broken, and she feared she could right it. His whole face was puffy and had dried blood, the worst being his cheekbone, which was cut open. Her stomach churned uncomfortably, for this boy could be no older than sixteen, maybe seventeen. When he was not awake, like he was as she examined him, he looked even younger. Something in his face, which still held childlike cheeks, reminded her of Aang, for some inexplicable reason. But, looking deeper, another part reminded her of her brother.

She glanced around twice, biting her lip, before coating her hands in water and beginning to heal him.

She fixed all the topical problems first: the scars on his face and arms, the scratches, the bruising that just went skin deep. Running her fingers along his chest, she could tell one rib - no, maybe two - had been broken, underneath where the bruises were the ugliest and darkest.

When she snapped the first rib back into place, the teen startled awake, gasping and crying out. Katara slapped a hand firmly over his mouth.

"Shh, shh...you're okay. You're safe." She had not yet spoken as the Painted Lady, but her voice came out different now, as though by instinct. When she was the Red Spirit, her voice was deeper. Her voice now was lighter than her natural one, and had a certain airy lit to it, one she thought was reminiscent of a spirit...however Katara had never met one, so that was all just guessing. "Don't cry out. I'm healing you, but you must be quiet."

Maybe it was the authority in her voice, maybe the kid was too surprised to argue, or maybe he thought she really was a spirit, and he did not want to get on her bad side, but the kid nodded and did not make a peep once she lifted her hand. He managed to keep his cries to a minimum, and to his credit, hardly cried out when she snapped the second rib back and began healing that one.

"My dear boy, what is your name?" she asked, "And how did this happen?"

Beneath her quiet tone, she was furious. Furious with whoever would leave a child for dead like this, furious about the crime that runs rampant in the capitol that Ozai does nothing to stop, furious that she was so naive to think that she could come out here unprepared. She wanted to go find the culprits and deliver them to the Fire Nation and pray they got a nice long sentencing.

"Shoji." His voice was rough. From the deepness of it, she assumed her first guess of seventeen-ish to be correct, for it was not the voice of a boy. "And I…" He trailed off, frowning.

"Who did this?" Katara pressed. "How could they hurt you like this?"

The boy looked down, and at first Katara thought it was fear that kept his lips sealed. Just as she was about to use her faux spirit status to demand an answer, she realized that it was not fear, but guilt. Shocked, and more confused than anything, she used her free hand to raise his chin.

"Shoji," she began, "What happened." It was not a question, it was not a request. It was a command to tell her. It was the voice her mother had used in the past, when she would find Katara and Sokka with a broken hunting spear, or after Sokka would come back with three broken fingers and eyes that could not meet their mother's.

"It's my own fault." Shoji began cautiously, shaking his head. "I didn't think this would happen, though. That I would nearly die." He was very aware of the state that he was in. Katara feared that he might have actually, if she had not found him.

"Why would you put yourself through something that nearly killed you?"

"To get money," he said simply, a reply that broke Katara's heart. "My mom can't walk, and it's just us. I couldn't get a job anywhere and I heard about a place that you could win money at."

Katara shuddered to think of the sort of place that would do this.

"I'm going to set your leg now. It may hurt," she said, and Shoji merely steeled himself before nodding. The crack echoed through the empty alleyways, and Shoji's forehead sweat, and he bit his lip hard, but did not make a sound. He was a strong one, Katara realized. His green eyes would only glaze over with pain for a second before he would blink it away, inhaling through his nose.

"What is this place?" Katara asked, working to at least put the motion to fix the leg. She could not magically heal a broken leg any more than his cracked ribs. She could, however, encourage the healing process and make sure that he got help...somehow. She was still trying to figure something out in her mind.

"It's an underground fighting ring. Agni, that hurts." Shoji winced. "Any benders, any skills. I have some firebending training, from like a master, so I thought I could beat at least two or three of the contestants. You win money for each round. I should have stopped when I was ahead. The last person I went up against was an earthbender...I just remember staying in as long as I could, but then I woke up here, with you."

Katara stiffened. A place like this could not be sanctioned. A place that would allow a young adult to be beaten to a pulp and then dumped on a side-street had to be illegal. She knew, somewhere, that she should take this information back to Zuko to allow him to deal with it, but she wanted to help Shoji right now. Plus, she figured that canvasing the place before she brought info back couldn't hurt, right?

"Can you show me where it was?" Katara asked.

"I'm not sure I want to go back there tonight," Shoji moaned, wincing. He rubbed his stomach, flinching as his fingers touch along his ribcage.

"I know, I know. But, a place like this…" Katara shook her head. "It needs to be shut down!"

"No!" Shoji's eyes were wild. "Look. That's all I have. I've won there before. I just got in over my head. Without it, I can't feed me and my mom." The desperation in his voice was one Katara recognized. It was the same desperation that led her to joining the Prince's Choice, the sort of desperation that would send a kid back to the place in which he'd nearly died once before.

"What if I promise I can get you a better job?" Katara asked, "At the Palace?"

He'd make a good guard, Katara thought. Or, even just a servant or a gardener would be a step up from where he was now.

"Yeah, sure," Shoji snorted. "You're just going to waltz right up to Fire Lord Ozai and tell him to hire me, huh?"

"No," Katara said. She took off her head-piece, dropped her voice back to her normal one, and used her waterbending to pull some clean water from the mud for him to drink. She'd been careful to not use waterbending around him other than to heal. Not everyone, she had come to realize, knew that healing was a waterbending-based skill. It could also have been a spirit motion, as Zuko had pointed out when they were discussing her new cover, before they'd fought. "I'll tell Prince Zuko."

She hoped she was not making a monumental mistake by revealing herself, and on her first night out! Maybe she was not cut out to be a vigilante like Zuko is. Maybe-

"Princess Katara." Shoji dropped suddenly, sucking in hard at the abrupt motion. The dust filled his lungs and he began to cough violently.

"None of that." Katara pulled him up. "Drink," she told him. He accepted the water, drinking it with relief. "You must not tell anyone about me. No one," she said firmly, putting her hat back on. "Do you understand?"

"I am bound to your secrecy, Princess," Shoji said. At Katara's confused face, he almost laughed. "Oh, right. You're not Fire Nation."

"Er, why does that-"

"You saved my life. We both know that. Because of that, you've invoked a Life Debt. I am bound to serve you until I die." He bowed respectfully, or as much as he could manage, which was just a faint dip of his head.

"There's no need," Katara laughed nervously. The Fire Nation had some really strange traditions. In the Southern Water Tribe, if someone saved your life, you thanked them and maybe caught them a nice fish, or gave them your rations of Sea Ale.

"I mean, it's up to you to how extreme you want to take it. If you ask me to never tell anyone about this," he waves his hand to her ensemble, "I will never betray you."

"Oh, well, good. Yes," Katara decided, nodding. "Now, take me to this fighting ring," she added.

Shoji agreed, bringing her closer to what Katara could feel was the center of the lowest ring, deeper into parts of the town that Katara felt slightly uncomfortable in.

"Man, do I have to say I'm glad you're not a real spirit," Shoji laughed, seemingly not quite as unsure about these parts as Katara.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Life Debts exist for spirits, too. I mean, it's rarely used, which is why I wasn't going to bring it up, but if a spirit would choose to fulfil it, they would have the right to take me back to the spirit world to be an immortal servant." He shuddered.

"You could have just never said anything to me, and I would have never known," Katara pointed out.

"I guess." Shoji shrugged. "I thought it worth mentioning. Besides, you seem...nice." His tone was mystified, which made Katara wonder what second-rate information was being passed down about the contestants of the choice or about waterbenders.

"How old are you, Shoji?" she asked.

"I'll be seventeen in a month," He replied. "To be honest, I should have started an apprenticeship somewhere last year, but…" He frowned. Katara was about to ask him more, but he waved toward a very decrepit looking building. "Here we are."

"But that's not big enough to-" Katara broke off to see Shoji pointing down. Now that they had paused, and the world around her was silent sans a few crickets and the occasional cat meowing, Katara could hear rumbling and cheering faintly, like it was far away. Or, deep beneath the surface.

"Stay here. I was serious when I said I'd get you a job at the palace," she instructed firmly. "You and your mom." She was absolutely willing to put aside her anger at Zuko to help Shoji; she hoped Zuko would be willing to do the same.

There were three or four flights of stairs down to the main area. Katara was stopped at the doors by a man sitting on a stool, absently flipping through a leaflet. The rock at her feet was covered with a murky liquid at least an inch deep, and water continued to trickle around her feet, probably from the rains earlier that afternoon. Even if Katara couldn't do waterbending in public, was a comfort to see that her element was there.

"Password?" he asked in a monotone voice without bothering to look up.

"Let me through." Katara started toward the door, but the man stood up at once. Standing, he was much bulkier than Katara would have guessed – he towered over her.

"Password," he repeated, "or no entry."

From inside, there was wild cheering and the sound of something breaking that Katara feared was a bone.

"You will let me through this instant!" Katara commanded.

"Lady, don't push me," the man threatened, making a reach for Katara. This, she wished she could have told him, was a bad move. Katara ducked down, wetting her palms against the stones, as he swung for her. She grabbed his palms and transferred the water to his calloused skin, and then pressed them to the metal door, which swung open. He was large, and maybe had he not been so taken off-guard, she wouldn't have been able to manipulate him. As it was, having a small girl dressed like a spirit fight him back was probably very surprising, which allowed Katara to make her move.

Once his palms were against the metal door, Katara froze the water between his skin and the metal sheet. Frantically, the man tried to tug his hands away, but to no avail. It was one of the only waterbending moves Katara knew that wasn't outwardly obvious about what she had done, and it was of her own creation. Well, maybe others knew it, but Katara hadn't ever seen it written in any scrolls.

She had gotten the idea when one of Sokka's idiot friends, for the eighth or ninth time, was dared to lick one of the few metal poles at their camp. He'd also been dared to lick his hands and grab the pole, leaving him completely incapacitated. Katara figured that if all it took was metal, water, and ice to create such a trap, she might come across an occasion to mimic it, as she had done now.

Katara slipped past him. "Don't tug too hard, or you'll lose a lot of skin," she offered.

If he was an earthbender or a non-bender, she had a lot of time before he freed himself. If he was a firebender, she had maybe five seconds. Either way, it was enough time to slip into the crowd and vanish from the sight of the bouncer.

Katara elbowed to the front. A few people whistled at her appearance, since the main group of spectators was grimy men, but mostly people were too engrossed in the fight to notice her. Patrons jingled bags of coins aloft, calling for someone going around to make bets. On a board above her, code-names were scrawled in chalk with some slashes through them, while others still stood untouched.

Katara managed to make it to the rails that kept the audience from the stand to see that she had caught the end of a match, or so she figured from the way the man closest to her was swaying on his feet, with blood dripping steadily from his nose. His firebending skills were weakened, and definitely by this moment he was just playing defensive tactics, trying not to be pummeled by his opponent. Katara couldn't see the opponent at the moment, but she knew it was an earthbender from the stone cage that they had encased themselves in, waiting for the firebender to exhaust himself, or granting a kindness to catch his breath.

"Finish him, Blind Bandit!" a man yelled, punching his fits into the air, pointing at the poor firebender. "Crush him!"

The chant of 'crush him' began to ripple through the crowd. Katara ground her teeth; this must have been the jerk who nearly killed Shoji, because the firebender did not look to be in much better shape! Katrara wondered what kind of depraved Neanderthals liked this much blood and violence.

The earth wall finally came down to reveal...a small boy. Katara was flabbergasted, just for a second. She blinked, examining the boy further, and nearly faints.

Holy dragons, it was Toph!

Katara's eyes narrowed, and she prepared to jump the barrier, gnashing her teeth furiously. Toph knocked the guy off the arena area, and the crowd went wild.

"And, undefeated once again, The Blind Bandit!" an announcer crowed, dropping a sizable bag of money at Toph's feet. Toph held the bag high above her head, laughing maniacally and grinning ear to ear. She had pulled her hair into a hairstyle that mimicked a boy's, and the clothes she wore were definitely not female garb. Katara leaned forward, feeling betrayed and appalled that Toph would ever participate in this, much less nearly slaughter people.

Toph's smile froze. She turned, and Katara could tell that her feet had picked up someone. She looked directly at Katara with her milky green eyes, and Katara could see her mouth two words: "Oh Shit."

"Yeah, you're right about that!" Katara snarled under her breath, but before she could move, the crowds were pushing to leave, and Katara was shoved back by bodies going toward the counter to collect winnings or the door. Katara managed to get free, jumping into the arena area and going up to Toph.

"You!"

"Hey...Sweetness," Toph laughed uneasily. "Let's uh, go outside, shall we?" she asked. She winked at the announcer as she passed, hoisting the money against her hip.

"How dare you!"

"How dare I what?" Toph asked, leading Katara up to the main level via an earth tunnel.

"Participate in that!"

"Don't get your robes all in a flutter." Toph rolled her eyes. "It's just a way to blow off steam. I mean, a little hypocritical, don't you think?"

"Hypocritical? How in any way are we alike?"

"Well, we're both blowing off steam illegally…outside the palace…in get ups." Toph reached forward, flicking the top of Katara's headpiece. "Nice hat, I think."

"Yeah, but I'm...I'm…" Katara fumbled. Being a vigilante with Zuko wasn't exactly a good thing to be doing. What she had been doing alone tonight was laudable, but it was only because Zuko wasn't around. "We're not the same. You've been beating people within an inch of their life for money. Your parents are the richest in the Southern Earth Kingdom."

"Woah, time-out." Toph made a 'T' motion with her hands. "One… uhh, my parents are the richest. Not me. Not unless I be a perfect little lady and marry some stuffy idiot who will never let me do anything fun again. You know I'm in this competition to avoid that, but I gotta realize that one day Zuko can't pick me, and then what? I have to save up now. And two...what are you talking about, 'within an inch of their life?' Might get rough, yeah, but I would never hurt someone that bad."

Katara really wished she had Toph's ability to tell if someone was lying, because she really wanted to believe Toph right now.

"Katara?" Shoji whispered from around the corner, and Katara realized that she has nearly forgotten about him.

"What about him?" Katara viciously spit out.

"Him?"

Shoji's eyes widened. "The Blind Bandit! Man, you're the best!" He sounded honored, not afraid.

"She didn't do that to you?" Katara asked slowly. Shoji turned beet red.

"The Blind Bandit is a she?" Shoji squinted and then blinked in shock, "Oh Agni, you're Toph Bei Fong!" He was looking between the two girls like he couldn't believe the night he was having. However , meeting two highly publicized ladies that were moonlighting in the lower circle must have been shocking.

"Oh, him! Good to see you upright, dude." Toph nodded to Shoji, who looked like he was just gifted something awesome. "Yeah, no! Spirits, do you think I'm a sadist or something, Katara?" Toph looked ill at the thought of beating up Shoji. "No, there's another earth bender that always takes his wins way too far. I mean, most of the contestants are like that. Real fucked up people. The owners love 'em, makes for a good show. I would never, ever hurt people the way they do, though. Just knock 'em off the area, you know. I made sure to crack something when I beat him - the guy that hurt the kid - tonight, but he's the only one I've ever intentionally hurt bad. It's a little inevitable that there's gonna be a little bit of blood, but I don't try to torture people."

"Oh, well…" Katara trailed off. "You still shouldn't be doing it."

"Yeah, yeah." Toph rolled her eyes. "Good try tonight kid, really, I mean that. I thought you weren't going to make it through the night, though."

"I wouldn't have. Katara, uh…" He looked between them.

Toph barked in laughter. "Yeah. Of course she did."

"I told him Prince Zuko could get him a job. He was doing it because he and his mom are starving," Katara narrowed her eyes at Toph, trying to convey her disappointment. "You do also know I'm going to have Zuko shut this place down. A place that would let a seventeen-year-old be almost killed and do nothing to help him-"

"Yeah," Toph frowned, "You're right. The place is a scum-hole anyway. They all probably deserve to be jailed." She crossed her arms. "Being the good guy sucks sometimes." Katara patted her shoulder with faux-sympathy.

The trio made their way back toward the palace.

Shoji told Katara that his mother often didn't expect him home until the next night after he went out for a 'job' and that a neighbor would take care of her. Shoji had managed to convince a kind elderly lady to look after his mom while he spent a day re-cooperating after the fights in an effort to not scare his mother with too bad of bruises and welts when he returned home.

"I can't imagine her face when I come home and tell her where we're headed! She could do a lot of stuff in the palace," Shoji rambled on, in an effort to hide his nerves, Katara figured. "She used to be a seamstress who specialized in event wear, back when we lived in the colonies. You should have seen the outfits she made. And, if they don't need that, then she can cook too. As long as someone can help her around she'll be fine-"

"Did you think of how we'd get back in with a kid in tow?" Toph quietly asked Katara, falling back beside her.

"I heard that. I'm a year older than you, you know!" Shoji pointed out, much to Toph's irritation.

"How do you usually get back in?" Katara asked her.

"Tunnels, duh."

"Well...we can't just bring him into the center of the palace. We'd get in trouble. I'll have to go to Zuko," Katara realized. Toph frowned.

"Why...what happened? You're all over the place in emotions," Toph read her.

"We fought," Katara answered bitterly. "And I don't know, he's pointedly ignoring me right now."

"Was it his fault?"

"Yes! No! Arg, I'm not sure." Katara rubbed her arms. "Maybe I should apologize…"

Toph looked back at Shoji. They were standing near the stables, which were technically outside the palace. "Look, I'll stay here with him. You go and find Zuko, talk to him. Good luck."

Katara felt her heart thudding all the way through the tunnels to Zuko's room. She opened the door to the closet slightly, trying to gauge where he was. Through the sliver that was open, Katara saw that the bed was empty. It was near dawn, which meant Zuko was likely getting up to start his day. Katara hoped he hadn't already left for his duties.

"Katara, come on out." His voice was monotone. "Yes, who else would be in there?" he added when she hesitated.

Katara held her breath, swinging open the door. His eyes narrowed at her.

"Did you go out last night?" he asked, taking in her garments. His entire demeanor toward her was cold and unwelcome, so unfamiliar to what she'd grown used to. It had only been a couple hours, but she already missed her Zuko.

"Zuko, I need your help."

"Agni, you did!"

"What, I can only go out with you?" Katara narrowed her eyes back at him, tilting her head.

"Preferably," he said, turning away from her.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Katara had every intention to apologize, but his tone and his accusations were just ridiculous. "Should I tell you every motion I do? Write it on a parchment for you to sign off on?"

"Did you come here just to piss me off more? If so, mission accomplished, you can leave," he said, motioning toward the door.

"It's like you're just looking for ways to argue with me!" Katara stomped her foot. "If you'd been listening to me instead of judging me, you would have heard me say 'I need your help'."

Katara explained the night's activities to Zuko as succinctly as she could. Frankly, all she wanted to do was leave his room right now and go curl up in bed. Understandably, she was exhausted from the night, and he wasn't making her feel any more energized.

"And now, apparently he owes me a Life Debt," Katara finished. "But really, I'm not lying when I say that I think he'd be a good guard. And what's best? We can trust him."

Despite their fight, her words reminded Zuko that there was something brewing that was larger than either of them and their petty words. In a household in which Katara couldn't be sure where the staff's loyalties lie - to Ozai? Azula? Ursa? Iroh? Zuko? - having someone, even as low-rung a guard as Shoji would start as - would be a huge deal.

"Thank you for informing me of that place. I'll be sure to look into it. Also, the Guard is always hiring," Zuko said slowly. "And I understand why you want to help him. It's honorable," he admitted. "I can't say you're wrong. He would be a good ally to have in the palace. I've been thinking of assigning someone to watch Aang during the day, since the unrest is increasing. Not many guards want to babysit 'Master Kuzon'. Think he may be up for that?"

"I think he'd do anything, especially if I told him." Katara didn't like the idea of using the Life Debt, but it was already coming in handy.

Zuko nodded once more. "The stables, you say? I'll go and collect him after breakfast. He'll be safe there by himself. No one comes to the animals there until noon anyway. I'll make sure he, and his mother, are taken care of."

"Thank you, Zuko," Katara said. He looked at her, his eyes warming to her tone. For a second, it felt like maybe things were okay.

"If that's all…" Zuko began, looking away. His voice, however, was still icy. Katara swallowed hard, their separation hanging between them. Zuko had never felt as far away as now.

"Yes, of course." Katara nodded, turning around. "I'll...see you around, I guess?"

"Yeah, later," Zuko said. It was only after she left, as she replayed his last words which had seemed so uneasy, that she heard the endnotes of longing and sadness. She wondered if he could hear it in her voice, too. She wished that one of them would just budge up and apologize, but Katara couldn't imagine doing it now. Not when Zuko had been so dismissive earlier in their visit.

Maybe, Katara figured, if she let it go for a day or two, things would work itself out?

She came back to collect Toph, telling Shoji what Zuko had said. Shoji, who had found an apple on the ground, was crunching away contentedly and told Katara 'not to worry about him'.

Toph's way back into the palace was much faster. It was nearly breakfast by the time Katara returned, but she asked Aiga to bring her some in her room so she could catch up on some sleep. Fighting with Zuko and saving Shoji had taxed her mentally and physically. Aiga saw the bags under her eyes and patted her hand comfortingly. Maybe she thought Katara had been up crying over Zuko? Or, maybe Aiga knew she'd left. Either way, her soft smile was a comfort.

Aiga woke Katara back up a couple hours later for her tea session with the whole group. Now that everyone was allowed to wander the palace, Zhi had instituted a tea session every-other day with the girls that was strictly mandatory. During this time, she'd go over things to be aware of, as well as announcing things happening around the palace that the girls would be allowed to join, if they so choose. The girls themselves also used the tea sessions as an opportunity to spread information, like if someone was going to the libraries to research or read and wanted companions, they could open it up to others. A few times, Katara had found herself with pockets of girls who she wouldn't have usually hung out with, but had been interested in their daily plans.

Plus, to make it interesting, each session showcased a different tea, imported from all over the world. Katara had found herself looking forward to it, since tea wasn't a common drink in the South. However, she'd grown to enjoy the mid-day treat. Sometimes, depending on whether a large dinner was planned or not, there might also be a finger snack to enjoy.

Katara let Aiga dress her this morning and apply makeup to cover how exhausted she must have still looked. It was past breakfast, so Katara sincerely hoped that Shoji had been attended to.

Katara sat on the wide square sectional next to Toph and Suki. Toph didn't look tired at all, and Katara was tempted to ask her secret. Before she could, however, Zhi appeared.

The biggest news to tell was that the new poll was out on the girls, and the room fell silent as she read the names out loud. Katara was still at the top, but she only got a few angry glowers in her direction. Most girls muttered a half-hearted congrats, or people like Suki very enthusiastically patted her back. The top five indeed consisted of the same girls, and (apart from Katara at the top) it seemed like someone had merely taken the other four's names, put them in a box, shook it up, and dropped the names off. At this moment in time, the Top Five in order were Katara, Mai (and, somewhere, Katara had to wonder if Zuko's kiss had something to do with prior knowledge of what the scores would be), Yue, Nadhari, and Toph. Toph and Nadhari had both taken some of the worst plunges, although Katara knew Toph cared little about it. The rest of the list was fairly fluid, if Katara was recalling the previous numbers. Suki was higher than before, which made Katara grin widely at her. She hoped one day Suki could nudge her way into the top five, because she surely deserved it.

"I had heard it last night," Katara overheard Ratana saying. "A group of us got the list before Zhi told us. I mean, I knew where I was, but still, hearing it…"

"No kidding," Caecillia said, who was coming in at number seven. Katara found this a wholly acceptable number, one that should make her mother a little happier. However, Caecillia still looked like it was the end of the world.

"They all care far too much 'bout stupid numbers." Toph rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure a girl would love to take your number five spot," Suki said dryly.

"Let 'em." Toph shrugged. "I mean, the top five has no bearing on who actually stays and goes, ya know. Princy is free to choose whoever he wants to win or pack their bags."

In this, Katara admitted, she had a fair point. This was only the poll of the people. While it was a plus to have the people on the side of whoever would win, it wasn't entirely necessary, and it wasn't as though Zuko was releasing his 'list'. A list that Katara had never seen, but knew from their conversations in passing he absolutely had somewhere. In all likelihood, it was just in his mind, since Katara couldn't imagine the scandal or the money someone would make from getting their hands on the list.

Tea was passed around by some of the girl's handmaid's, since they all rotated the job every couple of days. Aiga had done hers two days ago, so she was not present. They also were handing out spongy lemon squares, which were delectable and tasted like the definition of sunshine (at least, to Katara). She happily popped part of it into her mouth, listening to Suki talk about how today she'd be repairing one of her Kyoshi fans and Katara was free to come and keep her company in the artistry rooms if she wanted.

Zhi bowed, and everyone paused to bow back to her, before their attendant left. This signaled the official end of the meeting, meaning that people were free to go whenever they pleased. A couple of girls got up right away to start their day. A lot of them stuck around to finish off the plates of lemon squares and drink the rest of the tea. Each girl was handed an individual cup at the beginning of the session, but if more was wanted, one of the handmaid's carried around the large teapot for seconds.

Katara hadn't even had a single sip of her tea and tasted it. It was a reddish-brown color and tasted rooty, with just a hint of something minty. Katara very quickly decided that this was one of her favorites yet so far. She noticed Toph hadn't had hers yet.

"You going to have that?" Katara nudged her, pausing Toph's conversation with Smellerbee.

"Claws off, Sugar Queen! I was just in the middle of telling a very intense story, okay?" Toph said, snatching up the mug. She raised it to her lips to drink, still talking. "So, Bee, as I was saying-"

Toph paused mid-sentence, eyes widening. Katara caught the tail-end of her reaction and frowned at her strange behavior. Toph sniffed the mug deeply twice more, no emotion on her face, except that her eyes were as big as they could go. Nearly jumping back, Toph slammed her hand over the top of her mug and left abruptly.

Smellerbee, Suki, and Katara all exchanged very confused glances.

Katara stumbled over the pillows to follow after. "Toph! What's wrong?"

Toph was in the hallway, clutching the ceramic so hard that her knuckles were white, walking with absolute confidence and purpose. She was calling after Zhi. Toph almost never willingly talked to Zhi about anything.

"Toph! What is going on!" Katara grabbed Toph's shoulder.

"Someone's trying to poison me, Katara," Toph said with complete certainty. "And I'd bet my bag of illegal winnings that the same person tried to poison you before and failed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OHHHHHH! WHAT A CLIFFHANGER EH? I would LOVE to hear your guesses about it :) For all of those who guessed, also, that Kat might have been poisoned way back when the first ball was, keep this as a reminder that my plot lines might be picked up eons later again, so if something seems to have been put on the back-burner, don't think it's because I don't remember it!
> 
> Someone also asked for an updated list of the girls still in the choice. Since the rankings were just re-voted on in the story, I thought I'd give you the list that Zhi just read out.
> 
> 2Mai
> 
> 3Yue
> 
> 4Nadhari
> 
> 5Toph
> 
> 6Bharavi
> 
> 7Caecilla
> 
> 8Ty Lee
> 
> 9Ratana
> 
> 10Suki
> 
> 11Jin
> 
> 12Alcina
> 
> 13Eva
> 
> 14Anasemla
> 
> 15Avizeh
> 
> 16Besu
> 
> 17Maiha
> 
> 18Saoise
> 
> 19Saya
> 
> 20Ishwa
> 
> 21Andica
> 
> 22Kilee
> 
> And Shoji! He's an actual character from the show, from the episode 'The Headband'. He comes from the same town as On Ji.
> 
> So ugg, lastly...this week y'all... on Sunday I worked 3-11 but ended up staying an extra hour due to A Problem. Then, at 8 am the next morning, I started a road trip to bring my brother back to Cali where he goes to college, starting from Wisconsin. On Monday we stopped in Keystone, SD for the night and we were basically told that the wi-fi was down all over town. Tuesday we stopped in Salt Lake City and I was just honestly so exhausted that I feel asleep right away. Yesterday we made it to his new apartment in Santa Cruz but since his roomies had just arrived a couple days prior, they didn't have internet set up. So, it hasn't been until today I've even had the opportunity to update XD I might do another extra 'chapter review' to get ppl closer to a drabble...hmmm..
> 
> ALSO MYOTTODOG HAS DONE IT AGAIN AND POSTED A BEAUTIFUL FANART FOR THIS FIC! It's of Zuko/Katara dancing at the ball and it's literally perfection. Like, godly even :) Go check it out on my tumblr, youngbloodlex22, where I reblogged it! 
> 
> It also sorta goes without saying, but this is considered to be the update for this week. Sorry y'all, but you'll just have to wait until next week for the mystery to be unraveled. But, super excited to hear all ya'lls theories on who it was and what their goal is!


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! I know you guys were all eager after that cliffhanger...no one guessed it, though there were some very astute guesses that all I'll say is that you guys are def on the right track for some OTHER events happening soon...;)

"Poison?!" Zhi's screech echoed in the hallways, hearing the end of Toph's words after Wei had fetched her back.

"Yes," Toph said, "In here." She didn't release her hand from the seal she had over the top of the cup. "I'm positive. Get me Prince Zuko and I'll explain it," she said.

"This is a very serious allegation-"

"Yeah. You know what else is serious? Getting poisoned! Katara should come with. It happened to her too," Toph said. "C'mon!"

"Katara?" Suki gasped, and Katara hadn't even realized Smellerbee and Suki had followed them out. Katara gave a 'I-have-no-idea-what-she's-talking-about' sort of look back at them, but she was already being herded through the double doors and into a meeting room. Zhi left with Wei to find Prince Zuko, leaving two guards at the door. Katara paced while Toph just continued to sit, holding her mug of tea. Mug of poison tea, as Toph had proclaimed.

"Do you think it was equalists? Are the other girls in danger?" Katara asked, unsure how Toph could be so calm. "I drank the tea too!"

"No, I don't think so. I'm pretty sure it's just me. But, we'll check," she replied, as casually as if she were informing Katara that today it was going to rain again.

"Toph! Aren't you more freaked out?" Katara said, her entire body shaking. "I mean...would it have killed you?"

"Possibly," Toph shrugged, "But, I'm not so easy to take out."

Katara was about to demand to know exactly how Toph was so calm, how she had known, and why she thought Katara had also been poisoned, when the doors opened again. Zuko came in first. Even if they were still fighting, when he saw Katara, a flash of fear passed over his face.

General Iroh, along with Lu Ten in tow, entered next, and finally Zhi followed, wringing her hands. Katara had never seen their attendant so frazzled.

"Zhi says you think someone poisoned you," Zuko began, crouching near Toph.

"Attempted to poison me," Toph said, finally releasing her cover of the cup. "Don't drink it," she added, as though that needed to be said. "I'm more prepared than that."

"How?" Katara said.

"I can smell it, of course," Toph said, as though it was obvious. Zuko sniffed it, but shook his head. "It's nearly odorless, which is why it's used pretty often, Spark - I mean, Prince Zuko," Toph said, "Luckily, with my nose, I can smell it clear as day."

"And how would you know the smell of something poisonous?" Lu Ten asked, not with any suspicion, but just curiosity.

"It was imperative for me to know, in case I ever came across it. I can smell all the things that could kill me," Toph said simply, "Because I cannot see, so, yeah."

"Why would you need to know that-" Katara began, but sighed. "Right. Surprising the pants off people." She recalled Toph's favorite past time. Zuko's lip twitched into almost a smile, which would have been inappropriate for the situation.

"Yeah, that, and plus...I'm a pretty big deal. Offing Lady Bei Fong woulda been a dastardly plan, or a good bargaining chip or whatever."

"I would say that it would have been unneeded, but here we are," Katara agreed, thinking that she couldn't imagine that a kid like Toph would be required to know what poisons there were out there, for gosh sakes.

"Uncle?" Zuko handed the cup off to Iroh to smell. "You've come across some nefarious weapons before…"

General Iroh took one sniff, a very long one, before scowling. "Lady Bei Fong is absolutely correct. Someone was trying to poison her."

"Yeah, and as I said, I think someone tried to kill Katara the same way and failed," Toph added. Everyone's gaze, sans Toph, swung to face Katara. "You know, at the party?"

"The first one?" Katara thought back. She had been very sick, but it hadn't been much of a concern, so it was dropped.

"I didn't think of it until now," Toph added.

"I think Lady Bei Fong might also be right about that, too." General Iroh looked deeply disturbed.

"What? Did they get the measurements wrong? How could I still be alive, then?" Katara felt rattled to know an attempt on her life had been made, even if it had failed.

"Not exactly so." Iroh handed the cup off to Lu Ten, who took a couple of sniffs of it too. "Princess Katara, you eat zebra prunes, don't you? In the South?"

Katara blinked twice, unsure of how this connected.

"Err, sort of. We eat the protective shells they leave behind. We grind them and put them into stews for flavor and to add a little extra protein. The animal itself isn't worth the effort to eat. It has a thousand splinters to pick out, and if you miss one, it could scratch up your throat. And they take forever to cook, and turn to rubber if you miss it by a second, and to be honest they're not that tasty even after that." Katara scrunched up her nose. "But I don't get why that relates to someone poisoning me and Toph."

"Actually, zebra prunes are some of the most deadly creatures," General Iroh said, to which point, Katara scoffed. Sure, the spikes hurt a lot if you got them in your hands, but they were smaller than a newborn and gelatinous if caught outside their shell. "No. It's true. When threatened, they excrete a very potent poison ink, one so concentrated it's been used as an assassin's tool for many years."

Katara sat, back, thinking. Since she was a little girl, zebra prunes were difficult to capture, and Katara had only seen one once. She'd only ever tasted the actual animal once, and she didn't want to repeat the experience. However, somewhere, she did recall her parents talking to her about its defensive tactics. The pickings for food had been so meager lately that they hardly ever found a live one anymore, just the husks of their shells that washed up on the glaciers.

"There are a great many battle tales about the ferocious Southerners with their poison tipped arrow heads," Lu Ten added, and Katara was a little miffed he apparently knew more about their story culture than she did.

"Yes." Iroh stroked his beard. "The poison, if cut with water, is quite disastrous. When the animal secrets it, it's sticky. That's how it keeps itself in the shell. So, your entire life, you've been eating dried remains of the poison. I'm sure the amount the culprit used was meant to kill you, but they obviously did not know that most Southern Water Tribe members have developed a tolerance over the years. I imagine it was quite a lot to have made you sick, but luckily, no other side effects have come from it."

"Oh, wow." Katara's eyes widened. Zuko looked impressed about a skill that Katara hadn't even known she possessed.

"How hard is it to acquire the poison, father?" Lu Ten asked.

"Very," Toph answered for Iroh. "I mean, they call it the 'Suicide Fish' for a reason...idiots, really. It's not even a fish." Toph snorted.

"Suicide Fish…?" Zuko repeated, tilting his head.

"The zebra prune itself is a delicacy here, because it's so hard to get. When preparing it, the poison sac needs to be very carefully extracted so as to not kill the person eating it. However, killing the fish in the South is not an option, because the meat requires very cold temperatures to keep good, and it spoils as soon as it leaves. But, catching the fish and moving them are also not an option, because if it senses any change in their environment, it releases its secretion and do not release its own antidote after, thus killing itself. And, it's a long trip just to go to the South to get some poison, much less a sea creature itself. And, frankly, it's not as though we know any better way to cook it." Iroh explained.

Lu Ten made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat. "It tasted quite terrible the only time I've ever had the displeasure to taste it," he said. Behind him, Zuko gave a sharp nod in agreement while wrinkling his nose.

"Tasted like a booger that was left on someone's slipper for a week," Toph supplied helpfully. That was about the description that Katara had heard Gran Gran speak of it. She would take the shells any day, which were salty with just a tang of bitterness, but in quite a pleasing way.

"Now that we've established the method, we should figure out who did it and if anyone else was poisoned. Is it fast acting?" Zuko brought the group back to why they'd been summoned in the first place.

Iroh made a 'so-so' motion with his hands. "I think the medical wing would have gotten at least one person in with an upset stomach by now," he said. He turned to Zhi, who had been white as a sheet, silently listening the entire time. "Can you go collect all the mugs that the ladies drank from today, as well as the maids who served them?" he asked.

"And the rest of the girls!" Toph added.

"To see if they're sick?" Zuko asked.

"No, to find the jerk! I have a feeling it was one of them who did this," Toph said narrowing her eyes. "If not, you have a serious security problem, considering that these attacks were weeks apart," she said. Zhi looked to Zuko or General Iroh, who both gave permission to gather the other girls.

"How will we tell?" Katara asked, "If it's clear and near odorless?"

Toph grinned.

"Well, its use is not only a poison. If you dilute it until it's practically useless as a weapon, it's also used as-"

"Invisible ink!" Zuko interrupted, sitting up straight, a light going on in his mind. Iroh looked very pleased with both Toph and his nephew.

"Yeah. And obviously an invisible ink that stays permanently invisible would be completely stupid, so there's a way to reveal it. Orange juice."

"Guards, grab fresh oranges from the kitchens," Lu Ten said, "Now."

"It turns a most pleasing shade of teal green," Iroh added with a soft smile. "Quite beautiful. Deadly, yet beautiful."

The guards returned before Zhi did, arms full of oranges. Katara and Toph set to work straining them to get juice, while Lu Ten went and grabbed a soft brush used for calligraphy to apply it with. In a connected area, Katara could see the cups being stacked. To show Katara her proof, Toph squeezed the orange into her cup, sitting on the table still, and Katara watched the sides of the white ceramic turn a vibrant color, clearer with each passing second.

"That's a little overwhelming," Katara commented.

"It's a little more manageable as an ink," Iroh said, taking the glass and peering down into it.

Katara and Toph set to work swabbing the cups, but they came up with no other results.

"Well," Toph snorted, "Good to know I'm special."

Zuko asked each girl to come in one-by-one, where Iroh or Lu Ten were waiting to brush their hands with the orange juice. While Katara was sure that they would have washed their fingers off, Toph pointed out that the ink was sticky enough that even washing it would leave residue.

Most girls were just confused, and Toph could not detect any nervousness or worry from them. Zuko began to ask if Toph was sure it had been a contestant and not an equalist, and quickly regretted it when Toph nearly chewed his head off.

As the girls trickled through, most tried to ask what was going on. Iroh advised Zuko not to tell them, but to keep them in the room, just in case. At least, until this was figured out. If the culprit was not a girl but one of the Equalists, then having them all together would be the safest option anyway.

Around the ninth girl, Katara was beginning to wonder too.

Until someone's palms turned bright teal blue.

Katara sucked in hard, staring at the person who had tried to kill both her and Toph, unable to think for a couple seconds, unable to even react. Even Toph seemed startled. As much as she'd insisted it was one of the girls, it was very different to be proven right.

The Royal Family, however, wasted no time.

"Guards!" Iroh said, using a tone Katara had never heard. It was the tone of the legendary General Iroh, not the kind-hearted Uncle Iroh. "Arrest her."

Bahiravi stood her ground unflinchingly, staring down Zuko with a completely placid look, as though she wasn't just caught red -err, blue- handed.

"You understand you're hereby cut from the Prince's Choice," Zuko said, his tone cold. In moments like this, when his eyes were flaring but his voice was absolutely even, Katara could see how much he resembled his father or Azula. It was not a look she liked. As angry as he was with her, as much as he was ignoring her at the moment, his tone had never dipped into this with her. She hoped it never would. "And, you'll be lucky if you aren't locked up forever for your crimes in the worst holding cells. This is high treason against the Fire Nation."

Bahiravi said nothing; she just held his gaze. No pleading, no explanations, no insistences that she was not at fault. She didn't indict herself, either. She just stared. Katara would say she nearly looked smug.

"That bitch tried to poison me!" Toph snarled, and jumped forward but was held back by Lu Ten. Most of the girls paled to hear what she'd done. Katara thought that Saya in particular looked white as a sheet and fainted a little where she stood. When it was reveled she had just been scared, and not poisoned, a guard helped her back up to stand but no one was to leave yet.

"Language, Lady Bei Fong," Zhi said, but her voice wasn't as sharp as it often was when reprimanding Toph. She just seemed so caught of guard.

Behind her, the girls twittered amongst themselves, speaking in worried and shaking voices. The rest were swabbed with orange juice, but no one else came up guilty.

"Why you? If it were more of us, we might have a problem. But it was just you." Smellerbee scratched her head. "I mean, no offence, but you're just number five. Not one, or even two…" she said, flashing a look to Mai.

"I'd figure that she already tried to off Katara, and that didn't work. And didn't you hear? Bahiravi, somehow, was number six. She probably figured that offing me would just get her into the top five," Toph responded. Zuko seemed to be taking it all in, examining Toph carefully before nodding in agreement. Katara wasn't entirely sure she was happy with this, feeling in her bones that there was something else to be explored here, but unable to express it into words. It was just...a feeling.

Bahiravi was looking at Zuko with adoration. Katara wasn't so sure that she was with the Equalists, trying to kill Zuko. Maybe it wasn't so political. Maybe she was just a girl who wanted to be the Fire Lady a little too much?

The maid who served the tea and handed Toph her cup was brought in and promptly burst into tears. The maid explained how Bahiravi had threatened her this morning, but she had never thought that Toph's life would be in danger. Apparently, Bahiravi had spun a convincing story that Toph was going on a date with the Prince today and the vial would merely give Toph an upset stomach, making her unable to attend. That in itself was against the rules, but from the way the handmaid shook, Bahiravi had been convincing enough to cause her to fear for her life over what she thought was just to be a stomachache. Toph verified she was telling the truth and urged Zuko to not punish her for a being manipulated by a psycho.

"Plus, no harm done. I'm fine. Not a drop ingested," Toph said.

Then, they asked Katara about her experience during the party.

"Eva! Oh, she had wine. She insisted on getting me some. Wait, you don't think…" Katara's breath caught in her throat. She did not want to imagine a world where someone she considered a friend like Eva betrayed her, tried to kill her. Besides, Northerners ate zebra prunes too, or had at one point. The North was much better with their history, so Eva would have had to know that Katara wouldn't be killed from it. The North still might eat zebra prunes regularly too, and so they would know about its properties.

Eva shrunk under the harsh and unyielding stares the Royal Family was giving her. Zuko's face was the softest, but it was still wrought with worry and concern.

"Tell us the truth, we'll find it out anyway," he encouraged her. "Did you poi-"

"Me?" Eva practically squeaked, "I would never!"

The trio of men looked at Toph. She crossed her arms. "Truth."

"Well, how did Katara get the poison?" Zuko asked, sitting across from her, holding her shaking hands.

"I...I went to get Katara some…" Eva was close to tears, blubbering at the thought of being accused. She managed to take a heaving breath and collect herself to tell the story. "Some wine. I was bringing it back to the table and Bahiravi bumped into me, spilling it everywhere. She was so apologetic, and she offered to go get me another one while I helped one of the attendants clean it all up. I never would have thought that she...she…"

"Yeah, I get it," Zuko said comfortingly.

"I believe her and you all should too," Toph agreed. Iroh and Lu Ten exchanged looks before motioning for the guards to let her go.

It was declared that Bahiravi acted alone and would be tried as a criminal within the coming weeks. Katara was asked to speak against her, and as long as Bahiravi was put away, Katara would gladly do so. As awful as the circumstances were, this got rid of one more girl, and made Prince Zuko's choice a smidgen easier.

THEPRINCESCHOICE

Directly after the event, Zuko found a reason to vacate the room quickly, muttering something about 'council proceedings' and 'paperwork', his golden eyes shifting around the room before jumping over Katara's a smidgen too quickly. Katara saw that Lu Ten took in the moment, but he said nothing and his face did not portray any sort of knowledge about them. However, Katara was sure he would put two and two together soon enough.

Zhi was ushering the remainder of the girls, handmaids, and guards into the hall to allow Katara and Toph a moment to breathe. Katara was still reeling that someone had made an attempt on her life. She could have died, had she not grown up in the South.

It made her want to laugh and cry at the same time. Her parents had warned her about how dangerous the palace was, and this had only proven them right. Of course, it was another girl that was trying to murder Katara...not because she was even from Water Tribe, but because she was the number one pick for a game Katara wasn't sure she wanted to win. All Katara knew was that this could never get back to her family, because she was sure they'd be on the next boat over to drag her home by her feet, if need be.

"I just want to apologize again," Iroh said, once it was just him, Toph, and Katara left.

"It's okay, Uncle." Toph said. "Even I didn't know she was crazy." Katara ruminated for a second on the closeness of the two, the fact that Toph called him 'Uncle'. Iroh had tried to insist once that Katara call him that, but Katara couldn't imagine not calling him something more formal. She'd dropped the 'General' in front of his title, and called him Iroh, if she were speaking directly to him.

"Still, I think a...day off is in order. We have some of the best spas in all of Fire Nation, and I think Zuko would agree - if he didn't have such an important meeting to return to-" Katara could not tell if Iroh was making fun of Zuko or not, "That it would be just to send you there today."

"Spas aren't really my thing…" Toph said uneasily before Katara could accept.

"Lady Toph, I think you would find it quite enjoyable. Facials, massages," he paused, smiling in Toph's direction, "Mud baths."

Toph's whole demeanor changed. "Say no more, Uncle! When do we leave?" she asked, grinning in absolute excitement.

"I have to make the necessary arrangements, but this afternoon should work," Iroh nodded to both of them. "So please, enjoy your day and we'll call for you once it is ready. And I'm very glad to have such a smart girl in our midst," he said, patting Toph's shoulder.

"Ah, well, someone has to," Toph replied, but Katara could see the blush creeping up her cheeks. "Kat, did you hear that? Someone is going to rub mud all over me and it's what I'm supposed to be doing!"

"Yeah, I heard," Katara sighed. A spa day would be nice. Her grandmother used to rub her back as a child, but that had stopped a long time ago. That was the closest thing to a 'spa' that she'd ever gone to, although being here in the palace had opened her knowledge to much more, even if she hadn't experienced it yet.

The Ladies' Area was full of girls, despite the fact they were completely allowed to go out again. Yesterday's big drama - Mai being kissed - seemed to pale in comparison to Katara and Toph's news. Anyone could be kissed. Someone trying to poison two girls? Well, that would keep them twittering for weeks!

Toph had vanished right after leaving, muttering something Katara couldn't hear, leaving Katara to answer all the questions from the girls wanting to know what happened. Surprisingly, one of the first people to Katara was Nadhari.

"Are you both alright?" she breathed, eyebrows knit.

"Don't try that, concern sounds weird on you." Katara brushed past her, ignoring her. "Plus, killing me and Toph to get ahead sounds right up your alley."

"Katara." Nadhari looked actually offended. "I mean, I've done things to get ahead, yes...but killing someone?" She swallowed hard. "That's unimaginable."

So, Nadhari was more moral than Bahiravi. Katara might not have been able to guess that. Nadhari did seem sincerely worried about them, not just for show. Katara shoved back her dislike for Nadhari, shaking her head.

"We're both okay. Really. Toph didn't drink a drop of it."

The relief from Nadhari, and the group of girls waiting the hall behind her, was palpable.

"Oh, it was so scary when I heard poison!" On Ji was pale and shaking. "She could have killed us all, if she wanted. I wouldn't have known to check for it."

"Hey, hey," Katara cooed softly, "She was just one crazy person. Bahiravi is gone now." Even if the girls hadn't known or seen Bahiravi be cuffed, logically she was the only one who didn't leave the room.

"Good!" Ratana nodded firmly. "We're all real glad you're okay, Katara. We all want to win, but not like that." This seemed to be the general consensus, which warmed Katara's heart.

"Look, I'd love to stick around but…" Katara gave a long sigh. Frankly, she hadn't even been in harm's way this morning, but she wasn't really keen on doing twenty questions. Immediately, the group passed with 'oh, of courses' or 'let her rest' passing across the group. She closed her door behind her.

She penned half a letter to Sokka, before balling it up. One part wanted to tell him about this event, but nothing seemed to be the right way to tell him, especially in a way in which he wouldn't tell their parents.

_Hey, Sokka, you'll never guess what happened - but don't freak out-_

_Hi, Sokka. So, you remember when I was really sick a couple weeks ago and-_

_So, this crazy bitch tried to kill me-_

_Is life boring at home? Mine's not, because today-_

She sighed, thumping her head on her desk. Sokka probably wouldn't even answer if she wrote.

She did nothing much of value until there was a knock on her door.

"Yeah?"

"Princess Katara?" a hesitant voice asked. Katara's head shot up and she grinned widely.

"Shoji! Oh, come on in," she said. Shoji nervously entered, dressed in a beginning Fire Guard outfit, holding his helmet under his arm. She felt like a proud sister, like he was her younger brother or something, seeing him like this.

"Uh, so, I'm going to be escorting you and Toph to and from your session. I don't really know why, you and Toph could probably smash someone better than I could," he said.

"Don't play yourself down." Katara said. "But, yes, you're there more for show," she added.

"Where is Lady Bei Fong? She wasn't in her room." From the careful way Shoji pronounced Toph's last name, he'd clearly been taught it very specifically, or he was remembering to add 'Lady' before it.

"Let's go find her," Katara said. When she thought back to it, she recalled that Toph had mentioned something about the Hall of Histories.

She saw Toph standing near Sozin's portrait, next to a side table that had a tchotchke of some sort. Toph rolled it around in her fingers, licked it, and then stuck in in her pockets very sneakily.

"Shoji, just stay there," Katara said, sighing.

"Did she just-"

"Yeah." Katara rolled her eyes. "I'll make sure she puts it back."

As Katara approached, Toph spun around, trying to look casual.

"Hey, Kat. Just, er, enjoying this here…." She patted the table, finding it empty. "Wood. Nice wood."

"Empty your pockets, or I'll make you," Katara said firmly, crossing her arms.

Toph held her ground for a few seconds before taking out the orbish thing she'd swiped. Katara did not say anything, but she continued to glare with disappointment. To Katara's surprise, she unearthed about six to seven other small, but likely very valuable, items. Katara hadn't been sure, so she was glad she hadn't been standing there like an idiot.

"See, there!" Toph pulled out her pockets, shaking her dress. "Nothing else! Spoil sport," she muttered.

"Toph, what in the world were you going to do with those?" Katara asked.

"Fence 'em, obviously, once I left," Toph said simply.

"Really?" Katara sighed.

"Yeah. You've seen this place, I've touched this place. They probably wouldn't even notice. Lots to spare. I mean, ever since you decided last night to shut down my main source of income, I gotta think about the future."

"You know, if you really needed help, Zuko would…" Katara said softly.

"I don't need any handouts." Toph shoved her off. "'Especially not from Princy Firefeet."

"You really aren't going back home when you get eliminated?" Katara rubbed her arms, feeling a little sickened to think that Toph would just vanish.

"Obviously, my parents want me to marry Zuko. But, they realize that that might not happen, not with talks of this 'Water Tribe girl who he seems to think can do no wrong' – hey, their words, not mine," she defended herself at Katara's opened jaw. "So, they've started sending me 'replacements', other prissy lords for me to consider. If I return, they're absolutely gunna marry me off to one of them. I know that. So, yep, I can't stay." She shook her head.

"You'd always be welcome with my tribe, and that's not a handout," Katara said. "That's what friends do. Plus, we aren't under Fire Nation rule, so you can seek refugee with us. You can't be forced back."

"Yeah, but that's all ice and no mud. I'd have to think about it, Sugar Queen." Toph rubbed the back of her neck. Katara was a little shocked she was even considering it. "Hey, it's a great offer. Plus, well, I'm not sayin' no yet."

"Mud! Oh, right. Shoji is escorting us to our spa day," Katara said, tugging Toph back to him.

"Hey, Embers! You look nice." She held up her thumbs, grinning.

"Embers?"

"Cuz you nearly died and you're a firebender," Toph said, "And because as you so irritatingly pointed out, I can't call you kid."

"Oh. Well, thanks anyway…" He trailed off. "Wait, aren't you blind? How can you see me?"

Toph snorted, smacking his arm. "Gotcha!" Katara just moaned, rolling her eyes.

He put on his helmet, taking them to the palanquin and escorting them not very far into the upper ring to the spa.

The ladies were very smiley, if Katara had to describe their attendants.

"What do you mean no mud bath right now?" Toph asked, crossing her arms.

"Well, we'll do that later." The lead attended seemed to know how to deal with Toph. "There are many other good services that we will offer you," she said, escorting Toph away.

Katara was brought into a separate room. Try as she might, she couldn't get relaxed. Not with Toph yowling in the other room.

"Hey! Whatta you donin'? Get your hands off me if you-ohh," Toph's tone sunk into a dreamy one. "Yeah, that feels nice. Keep doing that. Just don't touch my feet, or there'll be hell to pay."

Katara chuckled, letting the attendant ease Katara back into a state of zen. They rubbed warm stones over her back with some oil, strong palms rubbing out all the kinks (according to the spa attendant, Katara had many). They did this for at least an hour, but since Katara had fallen asleep, she couldn't have said.

They woke Katara up with some warm tea. Katara had to say that she was a smidgen terrified about drinking it, after today's events. However, she pushed that aside and drank it, recalling how rare the poison was to begin with. She faintly wondered how Bahiravi got her hands on it. Bahiravi was from an upper-class family, but from what it seemed, that stuff was pretty expensive.

Either way.

After the massage, Katara was given a facial with a soft face scrub and cucumbers were put over her eyes. Three people came to attend to her while the scrub soaked into her face: one person washing through her hair, one person at her fingernails, and a third at her toe nails. Katara hadn't heard any screams of terror from poor attendants, which meant that Toph probably only had two people – i.e, not a person touching her feet. She was glad they took heed of Toph's threat, because she knew Toph wasn't joking.

Katara felt like she could stay here, being pampered, forever.

"When you become the Fire Lady, you can have days like this whenever you please," one of the ladies said, and Katara realized she must have said it out loud.

"Oh, er, right." Katara blushed. "Of course."

Well, with the way Zuko was acting towards her, she might never even make it to the final competitors for Fire Lady, fake or not.

"You said 'when', not 'if'," Katara called her out. She was silent after that, not really asking a question, but was commenting upon the language.

"Well, it seems all in the bag," the one said, and immediately, Katara heard another hit her and lightly hush the girl. That was all that was said upon it.

After they were done there, they rolled Katara's hair up into an elaborate up-do, high on her head, and Katara could guess what was coming next. Of course, Toph's elated whooping pretty much confirmed it.

Katara was offered a soft and fluffy robe to cover herself, since she'd shed everything but her underwrappings when she arrived in the massage room. She was led out to the hall, where Toph was waiting. The robes were large on Toph and Katara, so they pooled around Toph's ankles. Toph's hair was piled up similarly, and she looked cleaner than Katara had ever seen her.

"Are you ready?" Toph was almost bouncing like a child.

"Sure, I'm sure it will be nice." Frankly, slathering oneself with mud for beauty sounded fake to Katara, but she was willing to try anything at least once.

They were brought into a tiled room with low lighting. The room was already nearly unbearably hot, at least to Katara, who started sweating the moment she entered. There was an earthy scent in the air, and admittedly the mud in the baths didn't look like the average mud someone would unearth from their garden, but instead was fragrant and expensive looking. It was a much richer color than the mud that Katara had made with Toph before.

There were two baths sunken low into the ground, each filled to the brim with the mud. On a table between the tubs, food and drinks were piled high, enough to feed a small army, Katara thought. Plus, it seemed like - although there were other mud baths - they were unfilled, leaving the entire area open to the pair.

"Ladies, you are free to spend as much time as you wish in here. Please enjoy food and drinks. General Iroh mentioned that you may wish to spend the rest of the afternoon in these baths, and nothing would make us happier. If you ever need anything, there is a bell on the table, just ring it and someone will be out right away. It is up to you, but since you will be the only ones in here, you're welcome to undress completely. Have a good time." The lady bowed, closing the door.

"Well, this is nice," Katara said, unknotting her robes as she decided whether she wanted to strip everything of. "Toph?" she said, turning, "Toph, are you...crying?"

"Katara," Toph said, voice completely serious. "I think that poison killed me and I've died and gone to heaven."

Katara rolled her eyes, throwing her robes at Toph's face. "Drama queen."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I uploaded another drabble for Blue Dynamite, a Beast BoyxRaven Hogwarts!AU (in which Beast Boy is a werewolf) on my tumblr, wattpad, and a03 :)


	26. Chapter 26

Once Toph got over her awe, she wasted no time in stripping naked (much to Katara's horror) and literally diving into the pool of mud, ignoring the careful work the spa ladies had done to keep her hair up. When she re-surfaced, she gave a moan that was almost orgasmic, rubbing the mud deep into her face. Katara shuddered.

"No judging! You looked exactly like I do now when it rained," Toph said sharply. "Ahh, yeah, this is good mud."

"What's the difference?" Sure, this mud felt softer, but Katara was half sure she was imagining it.

"It just is. Trust me," Toph said. Katara was half-worried she'd eat the mud she was so in love. Luckily, Toph reached up, taking a bottle of wine. She used her teeth to tear the cork off, drinking straight from it.

"What if I wanted some?" Katara leaned onto the tile flooring.

"There's another bottle." Toph burped. "So, it's all good." Indeed, Toph was right.

"You are so unladylike." Katara wrinkled her nose.

Toph put her hand over her chest, making an 'awww' sound. "I think that's the nicest thing anyone could ever say to me," she said.

They spent the next hour working through the two bottles of wine and eating really good food. Toph tried to convince Katara to dunk her whole head under, saying it was 'good for her'. Firstly, Katara didn't want to ruin the silkiness of her hair that the spa ladies had done, and secondly, Katara didn't really want to spit up mud. She was fine to sink back into the warm mud with her head above the surface.

Eventually, Toph got a little tired of just sitting in mud, so she began making strange shapes with it, ones that fell apart quickly. When Katara tried, her shapes were more formed, but Katara attributed this to the fact that this mud bath was more liquid than dirt.

It made Katara think about how, up until Toph had pointed it out, Katara didn't even know she could bend mud.

"Toph?" Katara asked, sending the mud rippling like a spider's web, "How did you figure out how to bend metal?"

"I just did it," Toph said.

"Well, okay, but how did you know you could?" Katara asked.

Toph rolled her head toward Katara, her face becoming a little bit more serious.

"Well," Toph frowned, "I'd bent mud successfully, and mud is mostly dirt, but not really. And I can bend rocks, which is earth, but hard. And I suppose I just thought, well, maybe I can bend anything made from the earth, you know? And I started asking around, to my Earthbending teacher. He's pretty useless. I learned my earthbending right from the source - badgermoles - and he was equally useless here. He hadn't tried to bend anything fun ever, said bending metal was preposterous. But, metal comes from the earth, right? I learned that in tutoring. So...yeah. There was resistance, but that's how I knew I could. If I try to bend like, water, there's no resistance. It just doesn't yield."

"But you felt that you could, it just wasn't moving, not yet," Katara realized.

"Exactly." Toph nodded. "It was just like learning to earthbend originally. I just knew I had to practice. Still, I'm not great, but when you're the only metal bender, you're also the best one," she said, her voice returning to her usual teasing tone, as she winked haughtily.

"Huh…" Katara frowned.

"You bend anything cool?" Toph asked.

"Water things, I guess. I mean...anything mostly water, so mud, snow, tea, even milk. Just, liquids I suppose. Though, if it were a liquid not made of water, like at all, that might be difficult. I just haven't had the chance."

Toph scrunched up her nose. "That's nothing fun," she scowled.

"I can also heal with water."

"Oh, yeah, right. Glowing hands."

"How do you know my hands glow?" Katara asked suspiciously.

"So I've heard," Toph said. "June was really freaked out about it back when you healed her ribs." She chuckled. "But, how?"

"I don't really know how," Katara frowned. "I just know. I mean, there's lots of water in a body, so I'm just encouraging healing among the water particles, in a sense. I guess I'm not 'bending' anything, just helping a natural process."

"Scary," Toph said.

"What? How?" Katara frowned.

"Ah, nothing," Toph said after a second. "Does it itch when you heal?"

"I don't know. The only time I've been healed by waterbending was when Eva healed my hands, and they're still crappy," she said, raising her palms to show her wounds from Azula. "And that just hurt. I would think it wouldn't be fun, that's for sure."

"I hope to the gods you never have to heal me then," Toph sniggered. She began to sink down into the bath. "Now, if you please, I need to become one with this mud. Understand it fully," she said, going down until Katara could no longer see her.

Katara let her.

She was frowning, tapping her chin. If a body was mostly water - mostly liquids, like blood - could she possibly...bend a body?

She looked at where Toph was sitting, her nose scarcely above the mud level. She almost raised her hand, but she couldn't think of doing that to Toph.

She turned and saw a flower in its pot in the corner of the room. Flowers were mostly water too.

She raised her hand, biting her lip and willing the flower to move. Willing the water to move to her will, to do anything. It picked up, swayed like it was in the wind. Katara, gleeful, willed the flower toward her.

What came was not the entire flower, but just the water from it. The flower sat dead in its spot. As excited as Katara was to realize that if there was water anywhere, she could grab it, she also felt sickened. A smaller part of her wondered, 'what else'?

A fly buzzed around the room, humming in Katara's ear. Katara hesitantly raised her palm. A fly wasn't a human, but a fly had blood. She felt a little icky about possibly forcing a fly to move to a place it didn't want to go, but she told herself that she wouldn't be hurting the fly, just changing its direction...that is, if she could do it at all. Katara steadied her heart and flicked a finger, hoping to send the fly suddenly left instead of the path it was taking.

Katara felt resistance.

The fly did not move the way Katara had wanted, but Katara did not feel nothing. She felt a clear resistance coming from the water in the fly's body, and this newfound realization both terrified and excited Katara in ways she could not begin to describe.

THEPRINCE"SCHOICE

Back at the Palace, Toph disappeared quickly again, after Katara gave her a firm talking to about not getting her fingers sticky again.

"I know, I know. Ugg, steal one thing, can't ever be trusted again…" Toph waved her off. "I'm going to go lay in more mud. See ya." Unlike Katara, Toph had been adamant about not washing off her mud baths. It had nearly become a thing, until Shoji - of all people - had stepped in and convinced the spa ladies to let it go. Katara had been surprised. That had gotten Toph's seal of approval and Katara made a note to tell Zuko how well Shoji had reacted...if they were ever going to talk again, that is.

"I'll walk you back to your quarters, Princess," Shoji offered. He was truly trying to make a good guard, and Katara respected this, despite knowing full well she could walk herself back.

On their way back, they ran into a group of girls who were coming back from the kitchens.

"Oh! Katara, how was your spa day?" Maiha asked.

"Very relaxing, especially after…" Katara took in a deep breath, "Well, you know. What were you up to?" she asked, spying flour on all the girls' dresses.

"We were learning on how to make pies!" Andica smiled. "Although, mine was a little lopsided."

"It still tasted great," On Ji cut in. "I mean, I'd rather have a pie that tastes good over a pie that looks good but tastes like crap."

"On Ji?"

Katara - along with everyone else - turned to see Shoji staring at On Ji with utter shock. On Ji took a couple steps forward. Shoji took off his helmet, fluffing out his helmet hair. Her face changed from confused to shocked to elated all in a moment.

"Shoji, great Agni! It's been what, four years?" she gaped.

"You two...know each other?" Katara asked. What were the chances of that?

"Oh my god, I didn't even recognize you!" On Ji was still raving. "We are from the same Fire Nation colony," she finally got around to explaining. "He was in my grade, a long time ago...but he left suddenly after his father..." She looked down at her slippers. "Sorry."

"After my dad died," Shoji finished. "Katara helped me get a job here. She saw me when she was in the markets last," he lied quickly. "I cannot thank her enough."

"We'll have to catch up later!" On Ji waved. "I need to go wash off this flour. Later, Shoji!" The trio left.

"How strange," Katara chuckled. "Did you know her well?"

"It was a small colony, so sorta. Not well-well. She dated the really popular jerkwads and I wasn't about that. She was nice, but we just weren't friends the way friends are. She was best friends with my girlfriend, before I had to leave." Shoji shrugged. "I'm just really surprised she was picked."

"I like her. She's a friend of mine here. She seems like a perfectly fine girl," Katara said.

"I'm just glad she's away from some of her other boyfriends. Yech, they were nasty pieces of work."

"Well, now you can re-connect. Or, connect and become friends, since you're both here," Katara pointed out.

"Perhaps." Shoji ran his fingers over the sharpened edges of his helmet's flame. "Wonder if she ever talks to my ex anymore," he said faintly. "Arg, anyway. That was unprofessional. I should get you back to your room," Shoji decided.

Katara let him do his job.

THEPRINCESCHOICE

Despite how worried Zuko had seemed the day Toph was nearly poisoned, in the next two days, he went back to very clearly giving Katara the cold shoulder. Katara felt he was going out of his way to point out how he wasn't keen on speaking to her yet. Then again, it wasn't as though Katara had reached out either (but, she conveniently ignored this fact whenever she became upset thinking about it). In Katara's mind, eventually, he'd break and start talking to her again.

Soon, Katara was informed by Aiga that, apart from firebending and golden eyes, the third thing the Royal Family was known for was holding grudges.

Great.

Katara spent a good amount of time sulking about it. Shoji, who was no longer needed to escort Katara, seemed to have gotten his assignment from Zuko, as he was put on as Aang's bodyguard immediately. After the poison scare – although it had not been an Equalist attack and was directed toward the ladies – the idea that Aang needed to be protected was even more pressing. In truth, Shoji likely couldn't do much if someone really came for Aang, but he was there as a deterrent, as he was a more confrontational person than Aang.

Katara spent most of her free time watching the two spar. Shoji wasn't as skilled in firebending as Zuko was, but he had been trained by a Firebending Master from his hometown and did have some things to pass along. He bought "Kuzon's"cover-story that he was stolen as a child and assumed dead, until one day he was miraculously found by Prince Zuko and reinstated into the Royal Family. Since they were both near the same age, it also seemed like they were having great fun together. Katara wondered how much of assigning Shoji to Aang was about friendship as much as it was about safety.

Watching them spar made Katara remember the thing that had gotten her into her fight with Zuko to begin with. She also realized she never got her chance to practice and hit some things, which just made her even more surly.

On day three, Katara had reached her breaking point of not talking to Zuko, or getting brushed off. That's not to say she was going to get on her knees, crying and apologizing, but she knew something needed to happen.

She got her chance after she finished watching a session with Aang and Shoji. Shoji had forgotten his helmet, and when she returned to grab it for him, she saw Zuko warming up. She dropped Shoji's helmet on the metal benches to catch his attention.

Zuko spun, sighing hard.

"Me, you," Katara said, twisting her hair up and shucking off her heavy dress layer, leaving her in her wrap and skirt lining, "Spar."

Zuko furrowed his brow, about to argue.

"Scared?" She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, come on! We both need this," she pressed. Zuko seemed to be deep in thought, until he almost knocked her off her feet with a fire whip. She managed to jump to avoid it, but in the process stumbled onto her back, gaping up at Zuko. At Katara's scandalized face, he chuckled and grinned.

"Scared?" he parroted back to her. In response, Katara grabbed water from the barrels by the door, throwing it on the ground. She kicked her bare heels into the dirt, sending ice crackling like lightning over the floor and up his ankles. It wouldn't take him long to get out, but Katara was able to jump up.

Zuko shook off the remaining water from his leg, glancing up to see Katara with her shoulders squared and her stance firm. The pair circled each other for a couple of minutes, each trying to suss out the other's next move, or decide who would attack first. If they were going off who had broken first during their fight, technically it was Katara, since she'd offered this olive branch. Although, she wasn't sure how much of an olive branch fighting with each other was…

Zuko made the first move, which surprised her. But, she quickly realized how un-matched they were. She already had a feeling she was going to lose this. Zuko was a much better fighter than she was.

He had already picked up on waterbending, from the few times he'd ever seen it performed. He specifically made sure to stay within a close range to Katara, fisting fire daggers and attacking her arms. This was not only meant to incapacitate Katara's movements, but she also found it hard to attack Zuko at such a short length away. And, he was relentless. The more he swiped, the stronger and faster he seemed, which meant Katara was only able to throw up ice shields to protect herself. She hadn't even been able to get a true move in against him. Already, she was starting to feel the tinge of tiredness. Was this the Fire Nation way? Exhaust opponents to the point of failure? Well, if so, it was an irritatingly successful tactic, at least so far.

Katara knew she had to find a way to either pause him long enough to attack him or to get far enough away that she had a fair chance to throw some moves. She tucked it in her mind for next time that she shouldn't let Zuko (or any firebender) get closer than a double arm's length away, or she'd be fighting uphill.

Zuko was clearly expecting waterbending (which, obviously, what else would she be doing?), so she tried to think of some moves Aang did, with his strange quasi-fire/airbending. Especially since Aang never attacked, not until he was pressed to. He somehow almost always won by biding his time and just playing it defensive. Airbending moves were made to be so; it was only when he attacked that he looked more the part of a firebender.

While Air and Water were two different elements, Katara tried running through a list in her mind of airbending moves she could adapt to waterbending.

She recalled seeing Aang push Shoji away with a spinning shove of air once, and tried to do that. Shooting someone with a tunnel of an element wasn't specifically an airbending move, but Katara tried to mimic it by twisting her palms to create a much more powerful surge. It was strong enough to shove Zuko back halfway across the arena. He dug his feet into the earth, or else he might have gone right into the wall. Katara was shocked by how powerful it had been.

He threw up a flame, trying to dry himself off since he was completely soaked through with water, dragging certain pieces of clothing down like a deadweight. If he recognized her attack it as an airbending move, he hardly looked surprised.

When he advanced again, Katara was much more careful at blocking his way with water whips, causing him to be the one to have to dance away from her offences.

When Zuko inevitably found a blind spot in her attacks and managed to get back within less than a foot of her, Katara was ready. She dropped from using her arms as much as she could, overriding her instincts in favor of kicking her legs and feet out, throwing ice down at his feet instead of at his upper body. She also tried to focus less on ice and more on water, to douse the flames that erupted near his feet.

And the moves she was using were undeniably firebending movies.

Zuko laughed out loud, grinning at her - a genuine grin she hadn't seen directed at her in days. In response to her attacks, she saw him try to mimic a wave with his firebending, and that was when she sort of knew everything was going to be okay.

Frankly, Katara wasn't able to hold him off much longer. The match ended with Katara on her back, Zuko stepping lightly on her stomach to hold her down. He leaned close, holding a flame in the palm of his hands.

"Fine, fine, uncle," Katara muttered, trying to use her hand to shove him off, but his pressure on her was surprisingly firm. He lauded it for a moment longer before letting her up, holding out his hand.

Katara took it, but grinned wickedly at the last second and sent him falling on his side next to her. He rolled to his back right next to her, heaving to catch his breath, as she'd knocked it out of him while he was falling.

And then, he started laughing. It was infectious, and Katara couldn't help but join in. After they'd been laughing for much too long, and likely would have seemed loony if anyone saw, Zuko turned to her.

"Are we good now?" he asked with a soft smile. Katara sat up, touching his hand.

"Yeah, we're good."

That in itself was the acknowledgement of their own pettiness and an apology. It was one that said that Zuko would not ignore her again and that Katara would not get upset after she was the one who had told him to keep playing the game. It was not said explicitly, because they already knew. They just did.

THEPRINCESCHOICE

The next date Zuko went on was with Suki. When he kissed her (and, a completely chaste one at that, Suki would tell Katara), Katara didn't care much at all. She'd felt a moment of pain, only for a second - that is, until she recalled how Zuko had kissed her more times than he'd kissed anyone else, including after their sparring match to officially make up. And, secondly, she liked that Zuko had taken to Suki, more than she liked that he liked Mai. Suki was on her short list of people Katara hoped would end up as Fire Lady.

Katara got a couple more questions from nosy people this time, about half of the people asking Katara how it felt to be the public's favorite, but still not to have Zuko's favorite, since obviously kisses were what indicated that. The other half asked if she was sure Zuko hadn't kissed her.

"I think I'd remember if the heir apparent kissed me," Katara had huffed at them, which had shut a lot of them up. Because why would anyone not be bragging about being kissed, if that was the case, right?

But, the news of Zuko kissing a second girl quickly died down in favor of something else, something no one really could place.

There was something big happening at the palace. It started with an increase of commotion in the halls, and then changed to certain member of the Royal Family being called away during meals inexplicably. Then, Katara noticed that Aiga was not nearly as present as she often was. At first, Katara feared it was something she'd done, until she realized all the handmaids were off doing other things.

At first, Katara figured it was probably about the near-poisoning incident, but it wasn't that, either. The whole palace just seemed to be in a flurry, getting more and more anxious every day for...something.

It wasn't as though the girls were being purposely kept in the dark. As far as Katara could tell, they were just forgotten in the commotion, and everyone was far too busy to answer curious questions. It was driving Toph mad, since she could not find out anything about the event. As far as she was concerned, this meant it was another ball.

"I should have just taken the poison when I had the chance," Toph dramatically proclaimed, throwing herself on her bed in shame at recovering no information about what was coming.

"Now you're just being stupid," Katara scoffed. It was frustrating, sure, but not that bad. On Katara's end, it just meant that she saw people that were not in the Prince's Choice basically never. It was nearly impossible to get a hold of Aiga, Shoji, Aang or Zuko...all of them being tasked with mysterious and very time-consuming things.

Zhi was also not around, which completely mystified Katara. She'd been under the impression that Zhi's only job was to manage The Choice, but the fact that she was unavailable made Katara think twice. Wei passed along information casually, but for a couple days, the girls were basically left to their own devices. This would have been great, had everyone not been so paranoid about the palace's tone.

On the rare occasions that Zhi did surface, and when someone managed to ask her a question, Zhi would give her slightly pinched smile and reply with something that sounded really reassuring, but Katara would realize later gave away zero information. Katara was beginning to think that maybe Zhi didn't have all the answers either.

On the fourth morning of this, Zhi called the girls together for a morning 'tea' session. It was, of course, without the tea at the moment, as Zuko and Iroh were still trying to navigate the fall of the Bahiravi incident. It was silly; any drink could possibly be poisoned, if someone was really trying, any food at all at that. Maybe they should just make a point to pour orange juice in everything. Katara had noticed an increase or oranges in the palace since the incident.

On that fourth day, Katara was in a crappy mood. She always felt her best at the full moon, but today was the exact opposite side of the month. It made her feel irritable and bloated, and her hair was not cooperating, even to the point that Katara didn't care. In all, a day she was happy to be ignored on.

Toph appeared at the tea in equally a grumpy mood, that is, until she asked, "What's the day today?"

"Sunday," Suki said, nibbling on a biscuit. The change was instantaneous. Toph's whole face lit up and her whole demeanor changed. It was so sunny and happy that Smellerbee was looking at her like she might have gone mad.

"Why are you so pleased? What's so great about Sunday?" Katara asked, crumbling her biscuit between her fingers.

"Lots, Sweetness," Toph said, sighing in something that sounded like a mix between relief and excitement, "Lots."

Katara was going to press more, but Zhi called attention to herself.

"Today, we finally get some answers," Zhi said, which pretty much cemented Katara's thought that Zhi was just as left out as they were. "And we get to practice a crucial aspect of being the Fire Lady; the receiving line for visitors."

Ah, people were coming to the palace. Katara wondered who was so important to throw the whole palace in a tizzy.

"What is a receiving line?" On Ji questioned.

"A receiving line, Lady On Ji, is what happens to greet esteemed guests of the palace. It's done for those who command our utmost respect. The Royal Family gathers in a line next to the doors, along with other important people, so that the guests can feel the welcome right when they arrive. There is a hierarchy to the order in which one stands. It goes Fire Lord, Fire Lady, Heir Apparent, siblings of the Heir Apparent, family related to the Fire Lord - General Iroh and Prince Lu Ten, in this case - family related to the Fire Lady, military personal by ranking, and then others. We will put you in line where you are meant to be. Sometimes, gifts will be given to the guests in the receiving line, tokens to welcome them to the Fire Capitol. The guests will either bow or want to shake your hand, and you should act accordingly," Zhi said.

She pulled out a scroll. "There will apparently be quite a few days where a receiving line will be expected. We have divided you up among the days so to make the line not quite as long, but also to give each of you a more personal experience for the event that one of you will need to know perfectly one day. The one for today begins two hours past sun-high, and we expect the absolute best in looks and manners. I will call out who will be in the line today."

Zhi paused, unraveling the scroll to a specific section. "Lady Maiha, Lady Mai, Lady Kilee, Lady Besu, and Princess Katara."

Katara crunched her biscuit in her hand. On the list of things that Katara absolutely did not want to do today, dressing in heavy gowns and pancaking makeup on her face was totally not one of them. Katara thought she would rather have a heated make-out session with Fire Lord Ozai than stand in a stupid receiving line today!

She expressed her sentiments, in as polite tone as she could, to Zhi when the attendant released them.

"Well, Princess Katara, it would be impolite to not have a princess standing on the first day of the line. The first day is by far the most important in a series of days."

"Yue is a princess too!" Katara pointed out.

"Dear Katara, consider this a second lesson. Sometimes, as Fire Lady, there are a great many things we wish not to do, but must anyway. You will remain on the receiving line. I will pull Aiga away to assure you look tip-top!" Zhi said, which soured Katara's mood even more. She wanted to reply that she didn't' even plan on being the Fire Lady, but even Katara was not so stupid in her moodiness.

"Zhi, could I possibly join the receiving line today?" Toph asked, coming up. Zhi blinked hard, twice.

"Lady Bei Fong...wanting to participate in something worth her status?" she asked, completely shocked. "Well, of course!" She turned back to Katara as she was opening her mouth, "No, this still means you must stay. One more person will not make a difference."

"So she gets to change her day but I have to stick with mine?" Katara complained. "Aren't you worried about why Toph is so interested to get in the line?" Apparently, the thought had not hit Zhi.

"Hey," Toph said, stopping Zhi's twirling thoughts. "Best behavior. Pinky promise." Katara may not be able to detect lies like Toph did, but Toph seemed...completely genuine. Not even a casual smirk Katara's way, no sarcasm...nothing!

Yes, Katara decided, Toph had lost her mind.

"I will inform the Fire Lord of the change. I expect to see both of you soon," Zhi said, narrowing her eyes at Katara. Katara turned to complain to Toph, and ask what the heck was going on, but Toph had already vanished.

Strange.

THEPRINCESCHOICE

By three hours past sun-high, Katara was dressed in one of the most ostentatious dresses she owned, that at the same time was not a 'formal' dress, apparently. Katara still wasn't sure she knew the difference. Her hair had been pinned with so many pins that it was giving her a headache, and her face was sweaty from all the makeup. They'd been placed after the military generals in order of their status. That basically meant that Katara was first in line for their section, regrettably, followed by Toph, Mai (who Toph was ecstatic that she'd eked out more prestige than, if only by a hair), Maiha, Kilee, and finally Besu.

And Katara's heels killed. She'd been standing for more than an hour in this stupid line, allowing creepy men to make weird comments to her and kiss her hand while she could only smile demurely back at them. So far, Katara wasn't sure what set any of these people apart as 'very important guests', as the majority of them seemed to be from the Earth Kingdom and were just Lords of certain provinces, but (as Toph assured) all far below Toph's own status. A lot of them recognized Toph right away, but Katara couldn't imagine this was what Toph wanted to be here for, since she didn't seem to have a positive or negative reaction toward any of them.

Just as Katara was shifting her feet for the umpteenth time, Zhi walked behind them. "There's only one more palanquin coming in. We're nearly done," she said, sympathetically. "You've all done wonderfully."

Katara resisted the urge to drag the back of her hand across her face, fearing her hand would come back in all different shades of her makeup and it would smudge. Plus, Katara was about done with this.

From the end of the line, near the front, she saw Zuko peeking out to look back at the girls there in the Choice line. When Katara caught his eye, he gave her a wide grin. Katara had absolutely no idea what it was supposed to mean, because in an instant, he was tapped back into attention by his father.

"Katara, do you have a handkerchief?" Maiha whispered to Katara over Toph, who Katara was sure did not have a handkerchief, and Mai, who was glaring at Maiha with a dark look, talking over the two guards announcing the last group. "That last Earth Kingdom man smelled like mildew and I have to sneeze!" she asked, using a hand to cover her nose.

Katara heard the large front doors creaking open behind her, but was shaking her head apologetically at Maiha, so she did not see it.

Zhi touched both girl's shoulders lightly and Katara steeled herself. She put a placid, empty smile on her face, reminding herself that soon she could be out of this dress, out of these heels, out of this makeup. All she had to do was stand through probably another six weird Earth Kingdom lords that all smelled like vegetables, but none of them like good veggies.

From the front, a voice traveled down the grand hall, bouncing off the high walls. "Whattup Fire Nation! I have arrived, feel free to bow to me! Ah, just joking - so serious, all of you."

Katara's blank look completely fell off her face. From beside her, Toph broke her facade as well, cackling in delight.

"Finally!" Toph breathed. "God, I was beginning to think I got the date wrong."

Katara's head whipped around so fast she swore she'd get whiplash, her eyes widening in shock to stare at the person that everyone in the room was regarding with either confusion, horror, or delight.

"Sokka?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO MUCH HAPPENED THIS CHAPTER. MAKING UP! BLOODBENDING! SOKKA! YAY!
> 
> So, if you cannot tell, we are on the home stretch of book one! Only 4 more chapters left, gaspeth! But, on that note, I have a very important note to READ CAREFULLY:
> 
> I will be taking a week off to finish up writing the last four chapters, because there's a lot of things that I need to basically be writing in tandem with the other, plot points that I might need to work into chapter 27 for chapter 30 to make sense, and so forth. I'm nearly done with writing book one, I just need a week more or so to really tie off all the lose ends before we dive into book 2. I know this sucks, but trust me, it will be much better if it's done this way :) So, look for the update of chapter 27 the weekend of the 18th instead of this upcoming weekend! To make it up to y'all, I'll add an extra drabble point to everyone, so, hopefully that helps :)


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY DRAGONS Y'ALL. I AM OVERWHELMED IN SOME MANY AWESOME WAYS! The first, being that there was a tremendous amount of support of reviews on the last chapter, more than I've EVER gotten on this story for a singular chapter...second...as you see...I'm updating a couple days early because (SQUEEE) I FINISHED WRITING BOOK 1! It ended up being about 60 pages, which means the last four chapters will be about 16 pages each ;) And, you really need to give my beta a round of applause because she's starting school this upcoming weekend but still finished editing this chapter the day that I sent it to her! You wouldn't be seeing this until Friday if it wasn't for her!

But it wasn't  _only_  Sokka. Katara suddenly felt as though the dress she was wearing was restricting her airway; she couldn't breathe. She saw black dots in her vision, and Toph stopped her wide smiling to turn to Katara.

"God, are you dying?" she asked.

Katara was wheezing and could not answer. As she watched her brother, her grandma, her father, and Bato all walk through the double doors, Katara was feeling far too many emotions to process any of them. Horror, excitement, nervousness, nausea, and shock were just a few, although the list went on from there. In all, it seemed Katara's brain and body decided simply not to work. Katara did her best to not faint right in front of her entire family.

"Prince Sokka, you are very different from your sister," Fire Lord Ozai said, bowing to him. Sokka bowed back, along with Bato and her father, but his face was shining.

"Hear that dad? He called me a  _prince_. Yeah, I'm gunna like it here," Sokka said, holding his head high. When he got to Zuko, Katara was just thankful that her family didn't do anything to him, but she did see Sokka narrow his eyes and try to glance down the line to find Katara.

"That's your family?" Mai raised a tired looking eyebrow. "Well, that's something." From her tone, Katara could not tell how she really felt. Katara was going to take a gamble and say that Mai didn't look upon that favorably.

By the time the four Water Tribe delegates had gotten down the line to Katara, all she felt was excitement. She figured she could examine and confront the other emotions later. Right now, all she could think was that she'd missed them all so much, and that to have them here was just the best feeling in the world.

(Screw protocol), Katara thought, as she threw herself out of line to hug her brother tightly. By the time she had let go to hug her father, she was holding back tears. Even Bato hugged her, although he hadn't done so since she'd been a little girl.

Once she stood back, trying to hold in her sobs, Sokka startled back.

"Katara! What happened to your hair loopies?" he asked, highly distraught. Katara could only manage to laugh. She hadn't worn her loopies regularly in weeks, she realized, and today her hair had no room for them. She did, however, have elaborate braids in, which was still very Water Tribe.

"I'm sure we'll have time to talk to Katra properly later," Hakoda said. If someone had not known he hadn't been raised under palace etiquette, they might have never guessed. Either, he knew more about Palace living than he let on or he was extremely good at reading a situation. Katara knew her father, so she guessed it was a mix of both.

Toph was rocking back and forth on her heels, and when Sokka stopped in front of her, he made a noise of delight.

"Toph! Right?" he asked.

"You sound nothing like how I imagined you, man," Toph said, leaning forward to high-five him. "So good to finally meet you!"

"Likewise, shorty."

"Hey," Toph said in faux offence, "I'm the person around here to give nicknames, got it?"

"Ladies!" Zhi said, clapping her hands once. Even she must have realized the receiving line was falling apart. "Most Honorable King Hakoda, shall we keep it going?"

Hakoda nearly smiled at the title, but did not contest it. It was close enough to Chief that it wasn't worth arguing about now.

"Of course. I apologize, but you must understand my son's excitement," he said, placing a firm grip on Sokka's shoulder. Sokka at least looked red in slight embarrassment.

They managed to get through the rest of the line swimmingly, and a handmaid offered to take them to their quarters. Katara merely stared after them in shock and awe.

As she was starting to go back to the ladies' area, she was steered to a separate room. Toph followed her in whether she was meant to or not. Aiga was already waiting to help her take most of the makeup off, and she had a lighter and more comfortable dress waiting. As Toph followed, a thought hit Katara.

"Wait, a second, you knew?" Katara realized with a jolt, as she'd been thinking back the last half-hour turning to Toph accusingly. "You knew my family was coming?" Behind her, Aiga started to undo the top part of the many buttons that sealed up the dress.

"Ish." Toph made an 'eh' motion with her hand. "I knew from Sokka that your fam was coming. And, I figured if they told me, you probably already knew too. They're your family. I only knew Sokka was joining in like two days ago, and it seemed more fun to not tell you by that point."

Katara flubbed for words. "Okay, wait a second. You talk to Sokka?" she decided to begin with, feeling a rush of mixed emotions. "How? You can't write."

"My handmaid can, though. She's good at dictating my tone. And, not all the time, writing him that is," Toph added, and if Katara didn't know, she'd say Toph was almost blushing.

"I should be more upset," Katara said, crossing her arms. "But honestly, I'm just so glad that they're here," she finished.

"Yeah." Toph paused. "Your brother wasn't what I expected."

A flash of sisterly concern jolted through Katara. "You shouldn't have been expecting anything about my brother," she mumbled sourly. Before Toph could argue, the door opened and Zuko entered. There was a moment of uncertainty. Yes, she and Zuko were done fighting, but that didn't mean they went back to where they'd been before. They couldn't, not right away. In time, Katara knew they would.

"So, you really had no idea?" Zuko asked, looking at Katara's face. "I would have thought-"

"Yes, apparently my family finds great fun in giving me heart attacks," Katara cut in dryly.

"I'm surprised they came. I invited anyone who wanted to come to discuss the trade," Zuko said. Katara perked up. It was good they came. Also, she figured, they probably wanted to make sure she was actually still alive. But, this was a start. Katara really wanted this for her people, for her family. She wanted it so badly it almost hurt.

"Well, here's to hoping," she said, nodding.

"I, ah, figured that you'd want to spend some time with Sokka. Your whole family, that is. Your older family has to meet with Iroh, which I'm sure will be fine. I did manage - for us - to get a special lunch for you and Sokka...with me too, and anyone else you want, so…" Zuko seemed more awkward than usual.

"To get to know my brother?" Katara raised a careful eyebrow.

"Yeah." Zuko shuffled. "My father set it up. He wants me to 'suss out the Water Tribe'," Zuko admitted freely, scowling. "I figured maybe if you invite some other friends, I wouldn't have time to question him too much." Zuko rubbed his hair.

"You're inviting me, right? Because I will for sure make sure no suspicious questions are able to be asked," Toph said, standing.

"Yeah, of course you are, Toph," Katara said, blinking. She turned back to Zuko. "I'm surprised that your father-"

"I am too," Zuko agreed quickly. "I have to wonder," he looked at Aiga uneasily before proceeding, "If this is a...test."

"To see if you'll give him anything," Katara agreed, biting her lip. "We have to give you something to tell him," she decided. "I'll talk to Sokka about it. We'll figure out something that Ozai thinks is helpful, but isn't."

Aiga maneuvered Katara behind a screen so she could shuck off the rest of her dress. A lighter and less fancy dress was hanging for her to slip into, probably for the rest of the day. It was still more ostentatious than anything Katara had ever owned, and she wondered what her family would say about it. It was also more decidedly Fire Nation, although the colors were more muted and neutral than the bright red colors that they usually wore.

Katara nibbled on her nail, contemplating. What sort of something could she give to Zuko so that Ozai was satisfied and Zuko would still be safe, but so would her family?

"Who, uh, else?" Zuko rapped on the screen between them twice. Katara jumped, imagining how thin of a barrier was between them, her hardly dressed. She sucked in hard, trying to steady her breathing.

"Erm, how many can I have? Besides Toph, that is," Katara asked, ticking off ladies on her finger and trying to think about who would be good at a dinner with her brother.

"As many as you want," Zuko chuckled. "A few girls might really enjoy it. Although, to balance it...might I suggest Aang and maybe Shoji as well?"

"Yes, yes. Good," Katara nodded. She drew her hair around her shoulders so she could tie up the bits in the back, but found herself unable to. "Ah, Aiga?" she asked, calling her handmaid to help.

"How about Suki, Yue, On Ji, Alcina and Eva?" Katara counted off. In truth, they were the better friends she had here. A part of her wanted to prove to Sokka that she had friends here, good friends, and a wide variety. She thought it might be nice for Sokka to have other Water Tribe girls there - Yue and Eva, Suki was one of her closet friends, and although both On Ji and Alcina were Fire Nation, both were two of the kindest people she knew. She did admit that a small part of her guest list was very politically based. As much as Zuko would be 'watching' Sokka, Sokka would be watching Katara. Sokka could certainly sway her father one way or another about the trading deal.

"I'll let them know," Zuko said. She could hear his footsteps retreating toward the door. "Toph, c'mon."

"But-"

"Toph." Zuko's voice was sharp. "Aiga, you can stay here. Lunch will be ready shortly."

Katara waited until he was gone before she stepped out from the divider. Not even a few moments had gone by before the door had burst open again.

"Ah, Kat. One more!" Sokka said, grabbing her and hugging her tight. "You have no idea how much I've missed you, sis. It's been years," he said, pressing her a little too tightly, like only brothers can do.

"Get off! Sokka!" All Katara could do was laugh. "Really, you're ruining my hair. You're such a drama queen, it's been a couple months, but not years." She patted the braids to make sure they were still intact. Sokka was staring at her as though he didn't quite recognize her.

"Since when do you care about hair? Yuck." Sokka stepped back, shaking his head in disgust.

"Katara, you look lovely." Her grandmother's voice floated over to her.

"She looks strange! Where's the blue?" Sokka said.

"In the wash," Katara lied quietly, "Laundry day."

Katara, standing in front of her brother, grandmother, father, and 'uncle' suddenly felt overwhelmed. "You're just...here." It seemed surreal.

"Of course! Do you think we'd miss coming out to see you, kiddo?" Her father pulled her into a side hug, kissing her head. It made her feel like a small girl again, snuggling against her father during long meetings, playing with her dolls. "Your mother and I had a long fight about who would come to see you, don't think she didn't want to come but-"

"Yes. Someone had to stay." Katara understood immediately. "I would have thought mom would have beaten you down to see me," she said with a wry smile.

"Oh, she tried," Bato barked out. "But they ended up deciding a different way...probably because yer old man knew he'd lose to your mother," he teased.

"Oh?"

"We asked the oracle," Hakoda replied. Katara narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms.

"Stop it, dad," she said, irritated. Firstly, there hadn't been an 'oracle' in their camp for more years than Katara was old. Secondly, the reason that they hadn't, is because Katara thought that believing in oracles was stupid. It was all just guesswork anyway, being an oracle. Katara's disbelief was well-known throughout the camp. For someone that dealt in 'magic' every time she waterbended - as Sokka said - he often made fun of her for not believing in it.

"Can't get nothing past you, kid," Hakoda sighed. "Okay, in reality...we flipped a coin."

"What?" Katara screeched, "You did not!"

"It was a fair chance, then!" Bato piped up. "'Course, I hoped your dad would win because your mother wouldn't have asked me to come, and I couldn't miss out on this." He rubbed his hands together with a smirk that was nothing less than devilish. Hakoda chuckled too, nudging his friend. Gran-Gran came behind the two and whacked them both on the head.

"And I had to come because you can't send men to do a job that is clearly a woman's," she said. "Idiots…" she murmured, glaring at her son.

"Sorry mom." Hakoda ducked his head.

"And Sokka?" Katara turned, placing her hands on her hips.

"Strangest thing. We weren't going to bring him, the plan was to leave him to run things with your mother…" Hakoda rubbed his chin, "Until Prince Zuko wrote, a couple days ago, insisting that he should come." Katara felt her breath catch in her throat. A couple days ago, she'd broken down to Aang about how much she missed Sokka. She'd bet her place here that Aang had told Zuko and Zuko - although they were fighting - had insisted Sokka join. It stirred up a whole flurry of emotions inside of Katara, ones she knew she couldn't sift through right now. She had to press her emotions back down, at least for this moment. "I can't figure it out, but Sokka was very excited and once he read the letter, there was no stopping him from getting on that boat." He gave Katara firm look. "Runs in the family. We still need to talk about that, young lady."

"I had to dad!" Katara said softly, but firmly. "You know I'm right."

"That's to be discussed, later. We will see after all this is over. Katara, I'm proud of you, right or wrong. I don't think I say that enough," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. Katara swallowed thickly. "We will have lots of time to talk later. I hear that now I have to go to a meeting with General Iroh, is that it? Is he a…" He looked up at Aiga, pausing.

"He's a good man." Katara read his mind. "And this is Aiga. She's my handmaid and she's a good friend of mine, too. We can always trust her."

Hakoda gave a quiet 'hmm', unbelieving, or at the very least thinking about it - on both accounts. There was a grunt from the door, another handmaid that Katara did not recognize, to take her father, Bato, and Gran-Gran to their lunch.

This left just Sokka with Aiga and Katara.

"Shall we?" Aiga asked, motioning out.

"A handmaid, huh?" Sokka said, bouncing next to Katara. "All faaanncy now, and formal. You have a girl doing whatever you want?"

"Ugh, I regret this already, Sokka. Can you just get back onto the ship before it leaves?" Katara rolled her eyes. She had not missed her brother's nagging. Time away had dulled that part of his personality, apparently.

"You're stuck with me, Kat," he said, grabbing her annoyingly close. "Stuck like glue," he added, whispering it in her ear.

"Get off," Katara rolled her shoulders, shoving him back.

"So...Prince Zuko? Do I gotta punch him? Protect your virtue? Your honor? Your maiden-"

"Sokka!" Katara spun. "You say one more word and I swear to Tui that I will snap your fingers in two. And no, you don't have to punch him. He's a perfect gentleman!" Katara said.

"Ouch, touched a nerve there. You know if he touches you, I'm going to have to do something about it, though. Brother's code," he said, holding up two fingers.

Katara rolled her eyes, huffing away. After a second, she pulled him close. "Now, I'm being serious…" She outlined the problem, the choice of information they had to pass along, as quietly and quickly as possible. Sokka's joking face dropped away to a serious one and he gave quiet hums of thought.

By the time they had reached the room for lunch, they hadn't figured it out yet.

Inside, everyone was already sitting. There was a place mat for Aiga as well, since Shoji would be sitting with them, despite being a worker. She almost looked ready to argue, until Zuko just raised a firm eyebrow.

"Uh, everyone...this is my brother." Katara waved an unceremonious hand. "Sokka...these are my friends." She smiled softly. She was glad Sokka choose not to make a joke about her lack of friends. "That's Yue - the chief's daughter of the Northern Water Tribe."

"I 'member you! I shoved show in your face." Sokka waved a finger, as though proud of it.

"This is Eva, she's also Southern Water Tribe. There's Suki, she's a Kyoshi Warrior," Katara continued.

"A what?" Sokka rubbed his head.

"Basically, it means she's a badass," Toph said. "You already know me, 'course."

"Yes, Toph. Then there's also On Ji and Alcina sitting there." Alcina smiled a bit, waving at him.

"And those two?" Sokka pointed to Shoji and Aang.

"This is Kuzon," Zuko said. "He's related to me, but one of my few friends here. Shoji is technically part of the guard, but we're all friends here," he said. "Sit, enjoy."

"Well, I'm not one to say no to food. Especially food as mouthwatering as this…" Sokka said, already loading up his plate as full as it could go.

"Seconds are allowed, Sokka," Zuko said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep," Sokka turned to Katara, "That's it. I like it here."

The lunch itself was lighthearted and very low-stress, which Katara did not expect. She tried not to hog the conversation with her brother too much, and instead enjoyed seeing him interact with the girls and boys she'd grown so close to in her time here. He managed to engage all the girls in some form of communication, and was an immediate hit. Katara knew a lot of girls found her brother attractive (ew) so maybe if they weren't here for another man's heart, they'd all be more forward with him. A part of Katara was glad they weren't. Was this how Sokka felt about Zuko? That he had to be watching his back all the time, as she was watching her friends, wondering if they were thinking impure thoughts about her brother?

After it was all done, Zuko waved away all the girls except for Katara and Aiga. Toph could not be budged from the room, so she was there too. Aang hung around, scratching the itchy scarf he had to cover his arrows, and Shoji stood at the door.

They game-planned and decided that Zuko would report back to his father about the pitiful and starving conditions of the Southern Water Tribe, but be sure to mention that they were a proud people. They weren't starving currently, but they decided it might be nice for Ozai to feel like the Water Tribe needed the Fire Nation more than they cared to admit. They had to hope it would stroke Ozai's ego, but that he wouldn't launch a surprise attack against them.

"With the way Sokka inhales food, I'm sure he won't have a hard time believing it," Zuko mentioned, since Sokka had eaten enough food for four people.

"I'm a growing boy," Sokka shrugged, "What can I say? I'm a simple man, simple needs."

"If he does attack…" Katara sighed, trying to consider it.

"It would be in poor form, especially now. My father's not stupid, and that would be a stupid move. It would alienate all the nations that believe him to be a man of somewhat good will, currently." Zuko's voice was scathing. "And besides, my father has enough problems here, on our own turf, before he goes to war with you."

They'd discussed the Equalists briefly during lunch, so Sokka knew the basics of that.

"I think it's a risk we can take." Sokka agreed. "We'll give him the control he feels he needs over us. We're a strong people, don't you forget that. The Tribes took two of the most un-livable areas in the world and made them our home," he said, narrowing his eyes at Zuko.

"You don't need to tell me!" Zuko held up his hands. "Your sister has made quite the impact on me...literally. Thank god she heals me, or else I'd be black and blue by now."

Toph snickered.

"High-five!" Sokka said, turning to his sister with utter glee. "That's my baby sister!" Katara ignored him.

"We'll continue to talk about this later. Katara says you're good at game plans, strategizing?" Zuko asked.

"The best!" Sokka said, which Katara thought was overstating it. She'd said he was good, not a genius. It was hard to plan for places that he'd never been; his experience was limited to battle simulations that Hakoda had set up for them as children.

"I'll have you meet my father and my sister soon. Your opinion on this stupid mind game they play with me would be very valuable," Zuko said.

"Cool, dude. Just let me know when," Sokka agreed. A look passed between them and Katara resisted the urge stare with wide eyes. It was like a nightmare and a daydream were crashing together all at once.

Zuko and Sokka were getting along. They might become best friends. Katara was not sure how she felt about that, not one bit.

THEPRINCESCHOICE

The procession of representatives for the trade deal continued to trickle in over the next eight days. Katara had to stand in stuffy procession lines twice more, and none of them were quite as exciting as her first one. In fact, they were far worse.

During that time, things were busier at the palace than they'd ever been before. The idea was that one - if not more – representative from each delegate group would be staying at the palace long term as a live-in spokesperson for their own group. Katara imagined that from the Tribes, only one person would stay to represent each half. It made her consider who would stay from her side?

She doubted it would be her father. Bato, it could possibly be, since he was a third of the leadership, plus, Bato knew politics. She thought it could be her grandmother also, since her grandmother took no shit from anyone and had a very unassumingly powerful presence. She could quiet a room with just a look and go back to being the grandmother that made the best lavender-scented seal fat soap as quickly as she became a scary political figure. Finally, she considered the very real possibility it may be Sokka.

A part of her hoped that it would be her brother. However, he was so young, she wondered if her father would willingly send another child to such a place?

There were eight whole days of people constantly arriving, each just as important as the last. From the Fire Nation colonies and the Earth Kingdom colonies, it seemed there would be a representative per region, which was a lot of ground to cover. Zuko really was going to have his hands full with this one.

All the chaos left the girls free to roam with less supervision than before. Katara could hardly complain. She enjoyed being able to slip around the palace without someone stopping her to talk about this or that. Luckily, the attention was once again off the girls while these new and shiny important people arrived.

Zuko was pretty unavailable, as was Sokka - as far as when Katara tried to find him - but Zuko promised once things were signed and agreements were made, he'd have more time on his hands. Right now, not only was he trying to start these negotiations, which could take months, Lu Ten told her, but he was also the welcome wagon for every new representative and their whole crew. Katara wasn't sure how many rooms were in the palace, but she thought that they had to be getting close to capacity now, right?

She flitted between the different groups that gathered places in the palace, wanting to really get to know all the remaining girls. There was a large number, yes, but all of them seemed nice enough, sans Nadhari.

There were cliques forming, that was clear. However, Katara found that, like water, she was able to slip in and out of the groups with more ease than most. Toph usually just incited annoyance or unease whenever she was around. Even Suki, who Katara adored, had trouble just popping into a different group unannounced. Katara, for some reason, was welcomed. Maybe, Katara figured, it was because she was nice. Or maybe they all wanted know the number one pick so they could undermine her. Maybe, by fitting in nowhere, Katara fit in everywhere.

She would always remember these warm days, after it was all over. These days were girls just wandered around and found things to do, and made the palace their own, forming friendships outside the looming competition.

Also, now that the palace had been largely explored, the girls settled into places they found that they liked the best. Katara hated to admit it, but she liked almost everywhere 'the best'. The whole palace had something interesting or unique or cool hidden around each corner. As much as Katara wanted to hate this place, simply speaking, she couldn't.

But those days, the days specifically leading up to the arrival of the representatives, those are the halcyon days. The days before the world would turn on its axis. When Katara looks back to the start of the Prince's Choice, before things got so much more complicated, those are the days she looks back fondly on, the days she wishes she'd taken more advantage of, even if most of her time was filled with joy. She hopes that when other girls looked back too, they don't recall the bad as much as they recall the quiet moments that Katara witnessed, pockets of tranquility or laughter or joy while the rest of the palace buzzed around them.

THEPRINCESCHOICE

Katara found herself mostly in the training area with Aang. She sparred with other girls, but none had found the official pits. Likely because they were so far into the palace, so near to the Royal Family's personal quarters that none dared to explore that far. Toph perhaps knew, but it seemed she had no care for it, since Katara never saw her there.

The rest of the girls who liked to spar had found a hilly courtyard with rocks and a stream to practice their fighting. On any given day, Katara could find Ty Lee, Mai, Suki, Alcina, Nadhari and sometimes even Eva there. It seemed that the best way to get their frustrations out was to fight someone, as she'd found with Zuko at the end of their own fight. And, there was a sense of respect amongst the girls there, even when someone went up against the likes of Mai.

The library group was a quieter group, consisting of Ratana, Yue, and Alcina (when she wasn't fighting). These girls would study in the Royal Libraries, with more books than there could possibly ever be time to read.

If Katara ever was interested in learning to bake, the giggling group of On Ji, Maiha, and Andica were always trying a new recipe for something delectable, becoming fast friends with the royal chefs and waitresses and scoring the freshest scones and cookies whenever they wanted.

There was a group that was interested in the arts and would spend hours staring at one painting, as though mentally trying to trace back the brush strokes themselves. Then, Caecillia, Jin, and Saya would spend the rest of the day debating the theory of the work and sometimes trying techniques themselves, producing stunning watercolors or ink works that they freely gave to girls that were interested.

Then, there were girls like Suki and Besu that were terribly interested in the political side of the palace, specifically the guard, and would spend their free time trying to chat up members of the Fire Guard to answer burning questions.

Avizeh and Kilee carried around journals and were trying to visit every outdoor space to make note of the flora that the palace planted. Avizeh apparently knew all the green, non-interesting plants, whereas Kilee surprised Katara greatly by being able to pick out any flower.

Toph was rarely found. If she wasn't trying to cover someone in rock in the sparring garden, she was usually doing something Katara wouldn't approve of...if Katara could find her at all, that is.

She didn't see Sokka all too often either, except for nightly dinners. It seemed her family was actually busy. However, just having them close made a world of difference.

Katara thought that these days did a great deal for the girls themselves. When they were cramped in the quarters they'd been given, it was easy to hole into your own room, and conversation sometimes feel flat. However, knowing that Maiha made the best banana bread that the palace had ever seen made one realize that these girls were people too, not just figures or names trying to win the Prince's heart.

Katara, at one point, could hardly keep straight all the new people coming in. Girls like Yue seemed to take all the names in ease, recalling the tiniest details. However, now Katara knew most of these girls better than she knew the girls at her camp back home. They felt more like sisters to her than people she was trying to out-woo to get a title. She was pretty sure that most felt that way too.

THEPRINCESCHOICE

The day of her family's arrival, Zhi had gathered the girls to give an info session on the 'who's who' of the palace guests for the next couple weeks for the trade agreement. She didn't have much information on Katara's family, thankfully, and Katara staunchly refused to boil them down to a handful of defining qualities and such.

"If you're so interested in them, just ask! None of us are going to be offended if you're polite and earnest about your curiosity," Katara had argued with Zhi. It felt all very organized and planned, knowing these things. It was superficial, more about political advantages than actually learning things about these people. However, Katara took diligent notes, as much as it bothered her. She knew that her father and Bato would be glad to have these notes.

From the North, Yue's father would be arriving, along with a small envoy including their master waterbenders. Eva's eyes slid over to Katara when Zhi announced this, and Katara tried to stifle her excitement, but found it difficult. Yue's semi-betrothed, Hahn, would be coming...along with Yue's cousin, Arrluk.

Katara thought that would be interesting, to have to young men in the palace with different hopes for how this would turn out. Or, apparently, not so much.

"Hahn and I's engagement has been...paused," Yue shrugged. "If I were not to win, I would return and marry him. If I do win this, Arrluk will take the throne, and my father strongly hopes that we will be a stronghold. I would not be surprised is my father is helping Hahn look for a secondary wife during this time, once again, in the event I win."

"Doesn't he feel slimy that he's looking for another wife without any sort of certainty either way?" Katara scrunched up her nose.

"It is not a love arrangement. In fact, I find Hanh rather...well," Yue blushed, realizing she was about to speak poorly of her former betrothed. Katara raised an eyebrow, because she couldn't care less about not offending him. Now, to be honest, she was curious. "Well, he's going to be a strong chief, but I do not think he would be a good husband, not to me. I've always been a prize to him and little more," Yue finally settled on.

"Sounds like a tool," Toph snorted. From Yue's secret grin, it was clear she agreed.

The Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation had a whole plethora of people arriving, since their nations were quite large, and Zuko had sent out invitation to nearly everyone, it seemed. He would be encouraging them to pick a singular representative per region in the coming weeks, but for the initial discussions, he pointed out for his own sake, it would benefit him to get a feel for each individual town or grouping of towns.

The most interesting Fire Nation group to be coming, by far, was Ursa's family, who were going to be arriving soon. Katara was very curious to see what Ursa's family was like. She wondered if Zuko was close with his grandparents at all?

There were a lot of high priority people coming from Earth Kingdom, too. One was said to be the 'Mad King of Omashu'. Zhi explained that he was known for being 'eclectic', which Katara was fairly sure was a way to say he was really strange, but since he was a king everyone just looked the other way.

The High King of the Earth Kingdom, who lived in the capitol Ba Sing Se, would also be in attendance. He was said to be less eclectic than King Bumi, but still quite 'interesting'. Katara wasn't even sure what to make of that.

"And," Zhi said, reading from her scroll, "He'll be traveling with his pet bear, Bosco, who he never goes anywhere without."

"You mean a platypus-bear?" Kilee asked, raising a hand.

Zhi looked back over her paper. "No, just a bear, by my records," she said, but there was a hint of doubt in her voice.

"Certainly you mean his pet skunk-bear," Alcina tried to correct her.

"Or his armadillo-bear?" Toph scratched her head, offering up something else.

"Gopher-bear?" Ty Lee said.

Zhi was staring at the paper. "It just says bear," she said in an 'I don't know the answer so let's get over this' sort of tone. "Now, if we could just move on-"

"How strange," Suki murmured to Katara, but Katara just shrugged. The only 'bear' creature she'd ever seen was a polar bear-dog so she wasn't in a position to be questioning a bear's existence.

The final pair of dignitaries were some of the more memorable ones, too.

"Lastly, ladies, we had a last-minute addition to our guest roster." She turned to Toph, whose spine stiffened. "The Lord and Lady Bei Fong have decided to grace us and visit their daughter."

Toph was up and out of the room before Zhi had even finished talking.

"Not so fun to be surprised, is it, huh?" Katara muttered under her breathe, standing up. "I'll get her," she said to Zhi with a forced smile. Zhi was watching where Toph had left, confused.

"Thank you, Lady Katara."

Katara found Toph frantically digging through her closet in her bedroom.

"Sugar Queen, this is bad news! Bad, I tell you!" Toph said, shaking her head.

"Wow, Toph, I've never seen you so...scared." Katara was a little afraid herself. She expected more jokes from Toph about it. She expected...well, not this!

"I'm so screwed, ah man," Toph said, holding up some of her finer clothing. Despite the expensive clothes, Toph dressed the least fancy out of any of the contestants.

"Toph, what's wrong? How can I help?" Katara sat on the edge of Toph's bed.

"If my parents come and see me like this, they'll pull me from the competition for sure and marry me to some dude next week!" Toph almost looked close to tears.

"But you're in the competition by your own accord, right?" Katara frowned.

"Yeah, but eighteen and under, your parents are your 'guardians' and have the right to pull you out at any time. Most parents would never, duh, but my parents are a kind of special I don't want to get into. Damn, I got rid of all of my dresses that they liked me in!" Toph cussed.

"We can find dresses."

"In two days?" Toph said dully, angrily.

"Yes."

"We need cakey makeup too. And, arg, I got rid of my attendant. She'd for sure squeal on me if we got her back just for when my parents were here." Toph pulled at her roots. "This is awful, Katara."

"We'll make it work. I mean, did your parents know the attendant who was with you the first day?"

"No, Uncle Iroh had assured them that someone would be with me who was from the palace, but they never met her." Toph paused, "Why?"

"Well, I'm sure Aiga could pretend to be your attendant while your parents are here. They're only supposed to be here three days, according to what Zhi was saying as I left. I can manage without."

"Do you think it would work?" Toph whispered softly.

"I do," Katara insisted. "C'mon, we have work to do."

After finding Aiga and explaining the situation (to which Aiga agreed to with no concerns), the rest of the day was spent doing odd jobs to make Toph look as frilly and porcelain as she did the day she arrived. Katara petitioned any of the girls near Toph's size and stature to borrow some of their more ostentatious dresses. Aiga went around to ask what had become of the dresses Toph had gotten rid of, since nice and expensive dresses like that didn't go 'poof'. Suki went around and gathered makeup for Toph, donating some of her heavier rouges and creams for Toph to use while her parents were around. Smellerbee cleaned Toph's room, taking some of her more dubious items and hiding them in her own room, in case Toph's parents decided to tour where their daughter slept. She also convinced some of the other girls to allow Toph to use some 'girly' items, like delicate hand mirrors or paintings of nice lakes (didn't matter that Toph was blind, Toph said her room at home was filled with paintings she'd never be able to see). Katara was surprised by how many girls were willing to help pull this off, but maybe that said something about the group of them.

They worked hard on this over the next couple of days. Toph was a nervous wreck as the day of her parents' arrival loomed closer, leaving Katara to do most of the heavy lifting to get things finished.

Halfway through their mad dash to get Toph ready for her parents' arrival on the third day of the event, Sokka wandered into the Ladies' Area. He found Katara helping Aiga sew some Earth Kingdom beads onto a rather plain green dress, to build it up as one of Toph's own.

"Hey sis," Sokka waved a hand in front of her face. "You forget about something? Or someone, maybe?" he said, putting on his best puppy-dog sad eyes.

"Oh! Gosh, Sokka, I'm sorry," Katara winced.

"You'd better be! Do you know how awful it was to sit through a lunch with Zuko's crazy-as-balls sister? I'm surprised I left with my  _life_."

Katara bit her lip guiltily. She had completely forgotten that she was meant to attend a lunch with Sokka today, to act as a buffer between him and Azula. Zuko was originally supposed to have gone, but apparently he hadn't. Katara wondered if Sokka might have even preferred Zuko there, since the pair of them got along quite well. Katara was tempted to say something about being the 'backup', but she was a little okay with it. Frankly, Katara was a busy person, so if Zuko wanted to keep Sokka company, it was fine by her.

"She's been helping me, Wolfie," Toph said, entering from the hallways, tugging on his wolf's tail as she passed.

"Toph?" Sokka asked quizzically, scrutinizing her.

"Who else?"

"Well, you look…" Sokka trailed off. Toph was in full makeup and garb.

"Toph, voice," Suki reminded her with a sigh.

"Damn, I mean…" Toph stomped her foot. She inhaled, smiling demurely at Sokka. "Of course it's me, Prince Sokka. Who else would I be?" Her voice was now high-pitched and sounded completely soft.

Sokka jumped back a foot. "That voice is creepy as hell," he said, shaking his head. "What's going on?"

"Her parents are arriving today," Smellerbee grimaced. "And she has to act like she's been the good girl they expected her to be and stuff. Voice, clothes, hair, makeup, room...all of it needs to be pristine."

"Oh," Sokka replied in a knowing tone. "Yikes. That sucks…. if they're as bad as you've told me." He rubbed the back of his neck.

Katara narrowed her eyes. She almost asked when Toph had told him this, or how much she had told him, but Aiga returned to the room with triumphant eyes and an armful of silky leaf-green garments.

"Finally! I had to go all the way to a secondary outlet - did you know they have warehouses full of dresses, just in case - but I found a few of the dresses you came with or that were made originally. A few have been given away, but I managed to snag a lot of them back."

"Thank you kindly, Aiga," Toph said, bowing.

"Ugg, just weird," Sokka shuddered, referencing her voice.

"Let's get you into this one." Aiga set one of them on Toph's bed. "For the arrival."

As far as Katara heard, the receiving line with the Bei Fongs went well. Aiga had been getting tips from both Toph and Toph's former handmaid about how to properly attend to a blind girl and seemed to do the part okay. At least, the Bei Fongs didn't say anything about her.

"Just pretend like I'm incapable of literally anything and you should be great," Toph had said with a roll of her eyes. "Spirits, it's a miracle I can eat my own food the way I was raised!"

Katara and company also made a large effort to make it seem as though Toph was very busy a lot of the time, so she couldn't possibly see her parents all day. While Toph had switched back into her 'fake' mode, and after a day of speaking and dressing like a lady had gotten used to it again, they weren't going to tempt fate by insisting she stick close to her parents. The less interactions they had, they better.

It seemed to work for the best, frankly, because the Bei Fongs were thrilled about Toph's business that made her unavailable, as to them this indicated that she was flourishing and had a very secure spot to be so trusted. It was incomprehensible to them that a blind girl should be allowed to do anything, but obviously they thought Toph was closer to winning than not because the Prince allowed her leeway.

Katara overhead them once commenting that the Prince letting Toph wander the gardens by herself clearly meant that they were 'closer to family with the royals than ever'. When Katara relayed this to Toph, she gagged a little in her mouth.

King Keui did arrive with a literal bear. Bosco was the amazement and wonder of the girls. He had softer fur than Katara had expected and liked to have his belly rubbed. Everyone was so shocked that he wasn't a hybrid bear, but Bosco seemed to like the attention.

Katara hadn't personally met King Bumi yet, but she'd heard from Eva that he was stranger than she had expected, and after being forewarned, Katara found it hard to believe. Nor had she a chance to meet the Northern Water Tribe members. It was the hardest thing in the world to not stalk them until Katara figured out who the waterbending masters were and then demand lessons.

Once everyone had arrived, a Garden Party was announced. It was to be less fancy than a ball, but fancier than a dinner party. The representatives had been encouraged to bring trade items with them, and there would be a faux-marketplace of all the wares that, hopefully, Zuko would be sending across regions and kingdoms soon. The day was nice and hot so most of the girls, Toph included, got away with wearing semi-casual dresses. They had one 'fancy' dress that they'd borrowed from Alcina, and they were all hoping they'd only have to pull it out once (if at all) in front of Toph's parents. A lady as high class as Toph did not re-wear formal wear.

Katara sat with her grandmother at their table, since her father and Bato were off schmoozing other Lords and Ladies to cement their place. Sokka was...well, Katara wasn't entirely sure where Sokka was.

Their tribe had brought more than Katara had expected, but it was very little in terms of what the other communities brought. Other tables were overflowing with produce, arts, or goods, and the small arrangement of items at the Southern Water Tribe table looked pitiful. Zuko had told Katara not to worry about it, saying most of the dignitaries would think it expensive or otherwise, that only a select few got to own Southern pieces. Katara sure hoped so.

Already, the beads that had been brought were nearly all handed out, as many girls around Katara's age who were not in the Choice were gushing over the iconic beads that they'd seen Katara wearing in picturesso often. They all nearly had heart attacks to actually meet Katara herself.

Other than that, there were some blankets and baskets, some seal jerky, lots of fish, and an assortment of random other things. Luckily, most people seemed to enjoy them. Katara had been steeling herself for derogatory comments or lackluster sighs, but Katara being the favorite Choice contestant had done wonders for their tribe's popularity.

The Northern Water Tribe table was across the garden, and Katara had not had a chance to see what they'd brought in comparison to her tribe, but she was curious.

"Have you talked much with the Northerns yet?" Katara asked her grandmother.

"They arrived late last night, so not yet," Gran-Gran replied. "I remember Chief Arnook to be not so bad. I'm sure your father has already sought him out."

Katara nodded. Gran-Gran had been alive back when the two sister tribes still talked often. She wondered if she knew any of them? Probably not; they'd have to be at least her age at this point.

"I hear they brought Master Waterbenders. I hope I can maybe...oh, I'm not sure, maybe they can teach me while they're here?" Katara said.

"If it's fighting, don't count on it." Gran-Gran's voice had taken a sharp tone. "The North was horribly misogynistic when I liv-when I knew them, so I wouldn't believe they've changed at all."

"Lived there? Was that what you were going to say?" Katara asked, turning to her grandmother with an opened jaw.

"Nonsense, Katara. You must have heard me wrong." Gran-Gran's voice was a smidge too light for how she tried to play it off. "Oh, dear, Bato seems to be near a fist fight. I think I need to go save him or we'll be bringing him home in a coffin," she said, standing and brushing her clothes off. "You can manage, can't you?"

"Are you trying to avoid my question?" Katara replied back. Of course she could manage their table.

"Oh, dear, I wish," Gran-Gran said, turning Katara's attention to where Bato was in the face of an Earth Kingdomer two times his size. What was Bato thinking? Luckily, her grandmother was on the case to save her poor adopted son.

As Gran-Gran was doing her best to ease the tension, Sokka popped into the seat she had just vacated.

"There you are!" Katara said. "Bato is doing something stupid," she added, pointing through the crowd.

"Well, I'm sure it's justified." Sokka snatched a piece of seal jerky from the table. "Dad told me to go around and check out what the other tables were offering. No meat as good as this though! Zuko and I were eating through the wares."

"Oh, spirits," Katara said, blushing.

"He's pretty great, Kat! You made him seem so different in his letters. Ah, I don't think I've told you, but you have my permission."

"To…?"

"Date him, obviously," Sokka said, smirking.

"Oh, that's exactly what was holding me back. Thank the gods above. Now you've fixed everything," Katara replied, her voice totally deadpanned.

"Look, being serious, he really likes you. I can see that. I can't ask for much better for my sister than a guy who is so into her," Sokka added.

"If you two talk about me-"

"Yuck! You think I want to spend my time with him talking about his relationship with you? Ugg, no way. I'm just saying it's really obvious where his affection lies. It's a good thing, Katara," Sokka said knowingly.

Some small part of Katara was glad Sokka approved, since at the start of this, Sokka had been sure that Prince Zuko was going to murder her in her bed.

Alcina appeared from the crowd, fanning herself.

"I can take spicy food, but man, I just had a hand pie that should come with a glass of water and a warning," she said, approaching Katara. "Wanna trade it for a piece of that jerky? I hear southern jerky is the best."

"It is!" Sokka agreed happily. "And I'll try any food item once," He added, passing the jerky to her. Alcina gnawed into it very ungracefully, not caring a smidgen about her bright red lipstick.

"Ohh, yeah, that's good stuff," Alcina agreed. Sokka smirked, putting his hands behind his head and attempting to put his feet on the table. He very quickly lost his balance and tumbled over backwards onto the soft grass. He gave a low groan, rubbing the back of his head.

Katara snickered openly and Alcina just raised an eyebrow. Katara bent down to pull Sokka up, deciding to offer some help.

"Oh, holy crap," Alcina said, beginning to cough violently.

"What? That hardly has any spice to it," Katara said, glancing at where Alcina was bent over.

"No, no! That!" she said, pointing to something in the middle of the crowd. Katara stood, forgetting Sokka momentarily.

"Tui and La above!" Katara exclaimed, caught between wondering if she was dreaming or if she should just laugh. Alcina muttered something about needing to find water before vanishing back into the crowd, but Katara was too shocked to do anything but just stare.

She saw exactly what Alcina was talking about. It was hard to miss. In the middle of the garden party, Toph and Zuko were kissing.

Well, kissing might have been not the right term. Their lips were touching, true, but on Toph's end, it looked like she was trying to eat his face. She was grasping his robes very firmly and had forcibly pulled him down to her small stature and wasn't seeming to let go any time soon. On Zuko's end, he seemed completely unsure of where to put his hands and seemed to be attempting to look like he was enjoying it, but it was clear to Katara that he just had been thrown into a panic. Katara couldn't even feel jealous about something like this, something so clearly staged and ridiculous looking.

"Hey!" Sokka snapped, "What is Zuko doing kissing Toph?" He'd resurfaced to see what had gathered the attention of nearly everyone at the party and his fists were clenched. Katara was warmed by his brotherly concern for her love life.

"Oh, don't worry Sokka," Katara said, patting her brother's shoulder. "Don't go kicking his ass on my account. Toph isn't here for his heart. I'm not jealous."

"What?" Sokka squinted. "That's not why-"

Toph broke away and Zuko tried not to look like a man who had just broken the surface of a lake, gasping for air. Katara and Sokka both hurried over to where Toph was standing triumphantly in front of her parents. They looked pleased, a look Katara hadn't yet seen on their faces.

"See?" she said, throwing her hands to Zuko. They murmured something quieter to her before Zuko gave them a tight smile, steering Toph away and sweeping the pair of Water Tribe siblings in his grand arm movement. He brought them back over to the table that Katara had forgotten to watch for a second, face as red as his gilded robes.

"Toph?" Katara asked, flabbergasted.

"Oh, god, I need something alcoholic," Toph said, snatching a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. She downed it at once. "No offence, Princey, but...ugg."

"Oh, the feeling is mutual," Zuko said. "Warn a guy first, will you?" he asked, wiping the edges of his lips.

"Sorry! I didn't know what else to do! I just acted on instincts." Toph balled her fists and set them on her hips.

"You instinctively inhaled Zuko?" Sokka asked.

"Don't be so dramatic. It was just a kiss for my parent's sake," Toph said, turning to him. "I don't even like Zuko like that, so, yeah."

"Toph," Katara pinched her nose, "What just happened?"

"Well my parents had heard that the All-Mighty Firekid here had gotten around to kissing other girls but not me and they were concerned about 'my place' here. They were talking about pulling me out, and even though Zuko tried to convince them I was very much wanted, they weren't listening to shit. I've been on my tippy-top best behavior but it's still not enough. I've been wild and untamed for too long. I had to do something to prove that I had a 'chance'," she said, putting chance in air quotations.

"Did they buy it?"

"I guess. I mean, they called it 'unnecessarily passionate' but that's a good thing," Zuko said, "I think."

"Yeah. I could feel their anxiety just go to none. I think we're in the clear," Toph agreed. "I really am sorry."

"You should be!" Sokka said before Zuko could answer.

"Oh, can it Sokka," Katara said, a smidgen embarrassed. "It wasn't Zuko's fault."

Toph laughed out loud, for reasons Katara couldn't decipher why.

Zuko patted some sweat that had appeared on his forehead. "Toph, I don't care doing what I need to keep you here, but please do not spring something like that on me again. I need to go and explain things to my father, but I'll be back in a moment. There are some Fire Nation dignitaries that I'm supposed to introduce you to, Katara. Can you man the table, Sokka?" he asked.

"Yep, I'm on it." Sokka patted the table twice.

"Oh, what fun." Katara pulled a face in reference to what Zuko had just told her. He smiled sympathetically.

"You don't have to speak at all. In fact, most will prefer it if you just smile and nod," he advised. "I'll be back in a moment."

"Hey, gimme some of that jerky, Wolfie," Toph said. "I need something to wash the taste of fireflakes out."

"Miss Bei Fong," an older voice croaked. Toph turned away from an older man who had approached their table and breathed in twice, before turning an 'i'm a perfectly good little girl' look on her face.

"Yes? Who's there? My attendant went to get me some apple juice, regrettably, so I'm sorry if I don't know who you are."

Katara  _did_  wonder where Aiga was and saw her shoving through the crowd to return to Toph. She hadn't been around before when Toph attacked Zuko's face, for Aiga would have probably stopped her.

"It's me, Lord Tan of the Chin Province," The man said, sending Toph a smile that made Katara's skin crawl. "My apologies, Lady Bei Fong, for not properly introducing myself." From the miniscule twitch of Toph's jaw, Katara was sure she knew exactly who had walked up. She couldn't very well let him know that, not if she was pretending to be blind and helpless still.

"Oh course, Lord Tan. It's been quite some time since I've last heard you," Toph said, smiling and folding her arms into her sleeves.

"I just wanted to say that I feel you made quite the display just now, and that Prince Zuko should apologize to you for accosting you in such a sexual manner! Does he not know you are a young flower of but sixteen?"

Behind them, Sokka tried to hold in a laugh, but it came out as a half-wheeze and a violent gagging sound. Lord Tan looked to Sokka and his gaze narrowed with immediate dislike. Sokka read his face and straightened his back, looking every bit his twenty years of age.

"Oh, the Southerners," Lord Tan spat in a way that made it sound so dirty.

"Lord Tan, I'm Princess Katara," Katara said, stepping in to try to not cause another scene. "And that is my brother, Prince Sokka." She managed to introduce her brother without giggling about calling him a prince.

"Yes, so you say." Lord Tan just gazed past her. "Lady Bei Fong, are these two bothering you?" he asked, dropping his voice to a quiet murmur, eyes shifting back to Sokka and Katara as though he expected either or both to fleece him at any moment.

"Bother?" Toph's eyes widened. "Oh, no, Lord Tan! They are my friends," she said.

Lord Tan guffawed. "Friends? How preposterous! I have half a mind to tell your parents the sort of riff-raff you're associating with."

"Hey! I'm not riff-raff, I'm a prince!" Sokka snarled, bracing his hands on the table and staring the lord down.

"Hardly. A prince of flea-bitten savages, perhaps. I will grant you that title," he huffed, and before either Katara or Sokka could intercede, he turned to Toph. "Does it not embarrass you, Lady, that you are sullying yourself with two people who don't even sleep in real houses, but in ice? People who only have barbaric bone beads to offer the world and expect everything in return?" he asked, flicking one of the strings of Water Tribe beads between his fingers. "I am going to take you to a place where your title is worthy to be 'friends' with," he said, grabbing her arm.

"I wouldn't do that, buddy," Sokka said, taking a dangerous step forward.

"I have this, Sokka," Toph said, sending him a soft smile, one that Katara knew to be a dangerous smile in disguise. "Look, Lord Tan, while I appreciate your concern, you can kindly fuck off."

Lord Tan blinked rapidly. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, I know you heard me. Does it embarrass me? No! Katara and Sokka are two of the most honorable people I know, a thousand time better than someone as haughty as you. They have more worth in their pinkies than you have in your entire body. I'd happily 'sully' myself with these two any day of the week, in fact, I hope that I sully myself with the likes of Sokka or Katara! So turn around and never even look their way again, or you'll be sorry!"

Lord Tan stood, jaw gaping - as did Sokka and Katara, quite honestly - until he managed to fumble out a few half-baked words. "You...that...Lady Bei Fong! You are coming with me at once! Your parents were right to think that they should take you back home."

"Toph!" Katara murmured. "Don't, not because of us," she whispered, horrified at the idea that Toph would sacrifice her freedom for either of them.

"Why would they believe you?" Toph asked, slipping back into her charade. "I don't know any bad words. Is 'spirits' a bad word?" She gave a fake little gasp, covering her lips. "I would never offend anybody!"

"Oh, drop that act. I have known your parents longer than you have been born," Lord Tan said, laughing. "And I assure you, once they know what happened-"

"What I saw happen," a quiet voice drawled behind the group, "Was that you were insulting two of the guests of the palace, which, in turn, insults us. And, Lady Bei Fong was too flustered to do anything, much less swear at you, great Agni. Between us, who do you think the Bei Fongs will believe?"

The four turned to see Azula leaning against a pillar, watching them with her head tilted and a sly smirk creeping across her face.

The devil herself had come out to play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some notes about this very long chapter, or the upcoming ones
> 
> 1) I hope you enjoyed the throwback to the original series with the Bosco scene. That was always one of my favorite parts haha
> 
> 2) A couple people last chapter asked if there was going to be a thing with Shoji and On Ji. While I usually don't give away stuff with characters, it's that there's actually nothing to tell here XD I have a list of canon minor/one time appearance characters from the series with a description so if I don't want to make an OC, I just pick from there. It wasn't until after I picked Shoji, began writing him in, and then looked up his history on the wikia that I was like 'oh, yeah, he's from the same town as On Ji' and I knew knew if I didn't put a small scene in there, some reviewer would be like 'hey, so does On Ji know Shoji is here' or something of that nature. That was basically just a scene to clarify that they have regarded and acknowledged each other's presence in the palace!
> 
> 3) By the end of book one, you'll know the endgame couples (or, have AMPLE clues) for the biggest characters. So, if you see hints, assume that you're not just imagining it ;)
> 
> 4) Next chapter will come sometime this weekend, likely later than sooner, since hepchaton has to edit a whole other sixteen pages and that is a lot of work!
> 
> This story will wrap up at 30, but as I've said many times before, there are two more 'books' after! The sequel will be called THE WARRIOR'S GAMBIT! I'll be making the cover soon and other art, so if you don't follow me on my tumblr 'youngbloodlex22' go over there and do so to never miss a cool tie in :)
> 
> On that note, I'm throwing it open to the reviewers to help me pick a series title. I'm not a huge fan of when a series title is just the first book in a series, (ie; this would just be The Prince's Choice Series...nope!), I want something a little cooler, a little more badass! So, if you have any ideas, throw them out to me :)


	28. Chapter 28

 

Lord Tan blinked twice at the appearance of the young heiress. Katara could see Lord Tan trying to size up the princess, probably having never encountered her outside staunchly scripted settings before. He seemed to note how young she was, which is probably why he said the exact wrong thing next.

"I'll go right to your father, then," Lord Tan threatened.

"I'm daddy's favorite. One word and he could have you drawn and quartered. I don't think we want that, do we?" Azula said, looking at her nails, with almost disinterest. When Lord Tan began to cough out half-finished dubious protests, Azula looked up. "Really. I dare you." In that moment, Katara wasn't entirely unsure that Azula  _didn't_  want to see it happen, that she  _wouldn't_  take some sick glee in watching this happen.

"She's not kidding, either," Toph said, leaning forward. "Beat it."

Lord Tan, realizing he had no ground, began to recede.

"Hey! You say a word about any of this," Toph caught his attention, calling him back to them, "And I'll make sure that the Princess follows through." Katara was momentarily glad to see actual fear in Tan's eyes.

Once he'd slinked away, Toph turned to Azula.

"M'kay, what gives. What do you want in return? My firstborn child?" Toph asked sarcastically. "When have you ever helped us?" Katara's palms itched just looking at Azula and she nodded in agreement.

"Maybe I like you around, Toph, and the palace would be a little more boring if you were gone," Azula said, peeling herself off of the pillar to stand up. "Maybe Lord Tan is a dreadful excuse for a human being and I've been waiting to put him in his place since he had the audacity to kiss my hand in the receiving line. Or, maybe I'll come to collect on this favor later. The world may never know," she said, laughing to herself as she walked away. She paused, turning back and tapping her chin. "However, you'll know. When I decide if I've done this out of the goodness of my heart-"

"You have one of those?" Toph couldn't help but ask.

"You're right. That's debatable," Azula agreed, turning back around to leave. "My handmaids will be in touch. Toodles."

"She gives me the creeps. Yikes," Sokka said.

"Damn it," Toph muttered, "She's literally the only person who I can't tell if she's lying or not. You know that the other day, she straight up said she had pink-polka dotted wings and you know what I felt? Nothing! Truth! And, I mean, I can't see what she looks like, but I'm going to take a guess and say not that."

"Could it be all three?" Katara offered up.

"All three what?" Zuko asked, appearing behind them.

Katara gave a long sigh. "I'll tell you later," she decided, thinking now wasn't the time to worry Zuko about his crazy sister. "You said we have dignitaries to kiss the feet of?"

Zuko offered his arm, "Quite."

They passed by a few tables, and apparently Zuko was right; the dignitaries did seem to enjoy Katara more when she just smiled dumbly at them and allowed them to kiss her hands and offer her their very best wares. Many made comments about her humble and mild-mannered natured, which caused Zuko to stifle his laughter while his fingers traveled over the spot on his abdomen she'd wounded him when she knocked him off the roof on the first night. There seemed to be a great disconnect between what these nobles thought Katara's personality was and who she actually was. Did this disconnect exist with the general population too? It made her curious to know what the papers had written about her. Was her number one spot hinging on the idea that she was some docile and tamed Southern beauty?

She recalled that the people had liked her fighting style, however, so maybe just the lords were crazy.

After the fifth or sixth, table, Zuko pulled her to the side.

"What's the matter?"

"Huh?"

"You're quiet."

"You told me to be." Katara knit her eyebrows. "It seems to have worked-"

"I meant when we're not around the lords. I imagined that in between the tables, you'd have some of that wit I enjoy so much." His fingers traced over the top of her hands. "So, what's the matter?"

"I... someone said something," Katara said quietly. She relayed the conversation between Lord Tan and Toph, leaving out Azula's rescue, because that was not what she was thinking about. "I could tell that Sokka was surprised that someone was still so...archaic about it, you know? That someone would say things like that about our tribe. I hardly reacted, I'm just so used to those comments, in passing. And I'm upset because maybe I shouldn't have to be used to it. I'm actually most upset that Sokka had to see it and all. I hoped that maybe since I was a girl, it was just going to be at me but I just-,"

"Katara," Zuko's face was dark, "I can send Lord Tan home right now."

"No, no." Katara waved a hand. "Don't."

"Don't? I want to send him off this instant. That was out of line and honestly, we shouldn't tolerate that!" She could see Zuko's anger steadily rising.

"We shouldn't, I agree," Katara said. "But his trade from the Chin regions...this is important," Katara pointed out.

"We can find someone else," Zuko replied, unconcerned. "He is not the only lord there. We'll ask Suki; I noticed no Kyoshi representatives came and they are from the Chin regions," he said. "Now I wonder…" His jaw was set into a deep frown.

"Zuko." Katara pressed her palms into her eye sockets. "I don't want you always coming to my rescue," she admitted after a second.

"Katara," Zuko whispered after a moment, "I do not delude myself into thinking you're some poor, pathetic daffodil that needs to be protected. I know you can fend for yourself. Have you ever thought that I want to protect you? That I want it to be my job?" But, he gave Katara a soft smile. "I'll restrain myself. We'll figure out a solution that gives you agency in this situation rather than other people handling it for you."

Katara swallowed, touched. "Thank you."

Zuko and Katara had reached a break in the tables. "Have you had a chance to meet the Northern Water Tribe yet?"

Katara shook her head. Zuko informed her that's all they had left, and specifically, the master waterbender. Katara felt herself shake with excitement and nervousness, unsure what to expect from them.

He steered her to the other side of the garden, where the Northern offerings were much more plentiful than, but not entirely different from, the South's.

"Prince Zuko." Chief Arnook bowed to Zuko respectfully. "And, ah! Katara! You still have that same fire in your eyes from when you were eight years old."

"Haven't you heard, Chief, her title is Princess now," a half-sneering voice corrected from beside Chief Arnook. Yue was sitting next to the speaker, albeit uncomfortably.

"You must be Hahn," Katara guessed, seeing immediately why Yue was so disinterested in her ex-betrothed. "No title, of course, since you're not even a part of the ruling class."

From beside Hahn, Yue looked down and pretend to sneeze to cover a grin that she couldn't keep from spreading onto her face.

"Now, now, children," Chief Arnook said, pulling a frown. "I think we can be a bit more civil, hmm?"

Katara reigned herself in. "Of course. My apologies, sir." She held her gaze up to Hahn, trying not to smile too broadly his way.

"Where are your masters?" Zuko questioned. "Specifically, Master Pakku?"

"I am here, your highness," A older voice spoke. "Just resting in the shade. As you can imagine, the weather here is much hotter than we are used to."

"Of course. Master Paku, may I introduce to you, Princess Katara?" he said, shoving Katara forward a smidge. Katara felt her mouth go dry and she shook as she bowed to him.

"Oh, hello," Master Pakku looked respectfully interested, but nothing past that. "You're a waterbender, correct?"

"Yes! Although I'm entirely self-taught, so-,"

"Well, I imagine that there's much healing to be done in the South, isn't there? Practice makes for the best teacher," Pakku replied, cutting her off.

"Err, actually, I don't heal much. I'm not very good, to say." Katara blinked a couple times.

"Everyone learns at their own pace. I wouldn't feel too bad. Waterbending isn't natural to all," he assured, but to Katara, it just grated against her ears.

"I'm better at other things. I prefer other things," Katara corrected.

"Master Pakku, I had mentioned there was a waterbender that needed training here," Zuko interjected after Katara. There was a tense moment when Pakku just looked between Zuko and Katara. "You had said that would be your pleasure," Zuko added when the white-haired man did not speak.

"I'm afraid I did not ask the proper questions, Prince Zuko," Pakku finally managed. "You had not mentioned the student would be a female."

"I shouldn't see how that should matter." Zuko crossed his arms. Katara nodded in firm agreement but was angered to see that Pakku wasn't even giving her a second glance.

"Well, I would have told you that you should be speaking to Yugoda, instead. She's at your infirmary now, conferring with your healers." Paku turned to go back to the shade.

"Yugdoa is only trained in healing, is she not? I am not looking to turn Princess Katara into a healer, I'm looking to strengthen her skills as a warrior," Zuko said firmly. Katara preened with pleasure that he referred to her as already being a warrior, instead of something to transform into. It soothed the heat of the offence for a moment, but only a moment.

"Well, that's unacceptable. I cannot teach her, your Highness," Pakku replied. Katara's eyes bugged and she opened her mouth to interject, but Zuko caught her eye out of the corner of his own, and he frowned. She closed her lips tightly, but she could feel the indignation bubbling close to the surface.

"You see, Prince Zuko, in our tribe it is not allowed for women to learn combative waterbending. Only healing," Chief Arnook broke in. "Now I'm not sure how things are done in the South-"

"We wouldn't discriminate and instill some stupid rule if we had more waterbenders!" Katara snapped angrily. "We wouldn't require our daughter to marry before being allowed to rule but not expect the same of our sons, either!" Yue looked slightly mortified, and Katara knew that maybe she should not have overstepped, but she was downright pissed about the way the North treated women.

"You're not in the North right now, are you? You are in the Fire Nation and I am asking you to teach Princess Katara," Zuko said, trying to smooth things over without too much of a fight. His fingers tightened on Katara's shoulder, wordlessly telling her to ease back on her anger. She did not speak all the things she wanted to shoot out, but she did keep her furious expression.

There was a quiet pause. "You cannot ask me to give up my tribe's customs, years of tradition, because you ask me to?"

"I am not asking you to change overnight. I am asking you to make an exception," Zuko countered back.

"Prince Zuko-"

"I do not want to have to command this of you, but make no mistake, if it comes to it...I will," Zuko added darkly.

"Where is your father?" Master Pakku said, trying to side-step Zuko. "If he knew that you were insulting our ways-,"

"You will not find help with my father." Zuko wasn't a large man, but he could be intimidating if he so choose. "Firstly, he wishes Katara to learn waterbending, too. Secondly, there should be no need to speak to him. I am who you are talking to. I am not a child in which you can go over my head with issues, I am your future Fire Lord."

Unintentionally, the tiff had gathered the attention of the group again. For a second time that day, Zuko had all eyes on him. Katara saw Ozai across the lawn, almost looking proud? Or, his version of proud? Or maybe he'd just had a tasty snack from a table; Katara wasn't sure.

"Will I have to force you?" Zuko questioned.

"How awful! A girl learning to fight? Whoever will sit and keep the fire going and sew your fancy battle armor if you teach me?" Katara muttered under her breath when Pakku looked like he'd rather do anything else.

"I might have been tempted to teach her, had she been able to muzzle herself and give me the proper respect of a master," Pakku sniffed.

"Respect isn't given because you're old, it's earned," Katara shot back. At this point, Zuko shoved Katara behind him. He gave her a look that said that she was making this negotiation very difficult, but Katara wasn't even sure she wanted to learn from him now!

"How do I know that she's even able to be taught? She said herself that she isn't a very good bender," Pakku asked.

"Healer. I said I wasn't good at healing." Katara patted her dress. "You want me to show you? Spar, me and you, here and now! If you don't think I can be taught, then fine, but give me a chance." She began un-tying her heavy dress layer.

"Ah, Katara-" Zuko whispered.

"Yes, listen to your amour. This is not a fight you can win," Pakku said.

"So, that's not a no?" Katara said, summoning water to her from a pond in the corner.

"It shouldn't have to be said. You can't possibly be a fighter," Pakku scoffed, waving a dismissing hand.

"Not even if it's in her blood?" A voice came from behind Katara. Katara turned, shocked to see Gran-Gran standing confidentally behind her. She needed to use her cane to rise to her full height, but she looked more confident than Katara had ever seen her.

Sokka, from way back at their table, was looking at Katara with a 'what the heck' sort of face.

"Mother, come-," Hakoda began softly, elbowing through the crowd to her. She ignored him, hobbling to stand next to Katara.

The sneering and the haughty rise to Pakku's chin dropped completely, his shoulders slumping and his face morphing into shock.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, Master," Zuko said as the color drained from Pakku's face.

"It cannot be," Pakku whispered more to himself.

"It's been quite a long time, hasn't it, Pakku?" Gran-Gran said with a familiarity that Katara could not imagine her having, something even beyond having crossed paths or written letters with Pakku once or twice in her youth. No, this was something else.

"I...you…" He was now looking between Katara and Gran-Gran, and an understanding seemed to be dawning, but from his frown, he was not accepting whatever it was. Gran-Gran seemed to see this too, for she began unclasping Katara's necklace. Katara didn't understand it, but she allowed her grandmother to take the necklace.

Gran-Gran deposited it into Pakku's frozen-upward palms. "Do you not recognize your own work?"

"Wait, Pakku was the one who carved you that? When you lived in the North?" Hakoda was the first to blurt out.

"You lived in the North?" Katara asked, eyes wide.

"Kanna?" Pakku was still staring at the necklace with a mixture of pain and amazement.

"Would you not say that I was a decent warrior, before the law told me I couldn't be?" Gran-Gran continued.

"You were the best." Pakku's eyebrows were knit.

"So, wouldn't my granddaughter be the best, too? It is not only our faces that mirror each other, it is our spirit, Pakku," Gran-Gran informed him. Katara stared hard at her grandmother. It was strange to imagine her grandmother with Katara's face. She had been told she resembles her father's side of the family more, but now she could see it, in a sense.

"I-,"

"If you only ever do one thing for me, let it be that you teach my granddaughter. Katara deserves a chance to learn properly. Let the ways of years and years ago not hinder the future," Gran-Gran requested.

Katara thought, for a moment, even her grandmother could not budge this curmudgeon...until he looked unsurely at Chief Arnook.

"I suppose, if you allow it, since it is against tradition…" he began hesitantly.

"I wouldn't want to offend our hosts." Chief Arnook was still cautiously watching Zuko.

"A female has never been a warrior! She just can't be one!" Hahn blurted, earning a reproachful glare from his chief.

"You poor, mistaken boy," Azula chuckled, coming out of nowhere like she did so well. Hahn at least gulped, which seemed to please Azula as she trained her golden slant onto him and did not let it waver. Let it never be said that Azula wasn't for women's equality.

"You'd do well to hold your tongue," Zuko agreed. "Or Azula will show you how terrifying a female warrior can be." If anything, Zuko would always concede that his sister was a warrior, too.

"So it's settled, then?" Gran-Gran asked. "You will teach Katara proper waterbending."

She picked up the necklace from Pakku's fingers, giving it back to Katara. Katara fisted it, bringing in a deep sigh.

"I will not go easy on you, child, even if you are Kanna's descendant," Pakku warned.

Katara grinned. "I wouldn't ever want you to."

THEPRINCE'SCHOICE

After the drama of the moment, the crowd dissipated and Katara was allowed back to her seat with Sokka. She had a million questions for her grandmother, but she was absent.

"We should probably let her have a moment with Pakku," Hakoda told her when she inquired about the whereabouts of her grandmother. She could tell her father had just as many questions but was being an adult about it.

A little bit later, after answering some more questions about their items, she saw Zuko slip into one of the outdoor hallways leading back to the palace.

Curiosity combined with a lack of private time with Zuko of late caused her to tell Sokka she was going to be back in just a second. Sokka, who saw more than he would let on, narrowed his eyes.

"Fine, but only if you do the same for me when you get back," he conceded. Katara agreed, imagining he wanted to go back around and sample more food, or something similar. Sokka had such a one-track mind!

She followed where she'd seen Zuko go into the palace, looking up and down the halls to find where he'd vanished to. Without warning, someone grabbed her arm and tugged her into one of the shorter halls that led to a generic closet.

"I had hoped you'd follow me," Zuko said. He didn't maneuver Katara into the closet, but he did make an effort to hide them a bit. This told Katara that he wasn't planning anything too scandalous, but she could accept this.

He leaned down to kiss her, pressing her back carefully against the gilded and gold leaf-encrusted wall. Like their first good kiss, he took his palms up to cup her cheeks. When he pulled away, Katara reached up, holding his wrists with her palms and leaning back up. She could take a little initiative, she decided, just as a quiet encouragement.

A soft laugh like bells broke them apart. Zuko jumped a foot back and they turned to see Fire Lady Ursa having stumbled upon them. The first emotion to crash over Katara was embarrassment, red-hot and burning. The second, though, was a flash of fear. Kissing a girl secretly in a corridor said a great deal, more than kissing someone for journalists and the press. Was she allied with Ozai? Would she be passing this moment along? Was Katara going to have to encourage Zuko to go wildly make out with Mai or Yue to throw suspicion off?

"Mother." Zuko rubbed the back of his neck.

"Zuko, one of the Earth Lords was looking for you," she said, "But I see that you found something much better."

"Ah…" Katara didn't think she'd ever seen Zuko as red as he was in this moment. "Which one? I just needed a second to step away and-,"

"Zuko, it's fine." Ursa patted his cheek. "I believe it was Lord Xiu, last I heard," she said. Zuko gave a sharp nod, turning and sending Katara an apologetic glance before hustling away. Katara turned to leave too, but Ursa offered her an arm.

"Would you like to accompany me? I'm walking to the Family Gardens and I would enjoy a companion to speak to." While in most cases, something worded as such would seem like a question, but in reality was a command, Katara knew that Ursa would likely hold no ill-will if Katara declined. However, she hadn't a time to talk with Ursa one on one...ever, if she thought about it. Zuko loved his mother dearly, and Katara wanted to understand that, especially when he distrusted his father so.

"Of course, your highness," Katara agreed.

"I think we can dispense with the titles. I would like it for you to merely call me Ursa for now, but if that makes you uncomfortable, I understand," Ursa asked. "Many of the girls seem unwilling to speak to me, and perhaps for good reason."

"Oh?" Katara asked.

Ursa led her away from the party and further into the palace. "We both know you are aware of my husband's temperament. You're smart enough to realize why. You're also wondering if I am his informant on all things, if I am so loyal to him as to be recording everything that's going on now only to parrot back later."

"Well, yes." Katara blinked in surprise. There was zero subterfuge with Ursa, which was such a drastic change from Ozai. However, that's not to say that Ursa wasn't politically intelligent. Whether she had always been so or if years at the palace had sharpened her wit, Katara was unsure.

"My dear, you may choose to believe this or not, but I am an autonomous person with a life detached from Ozai's own plots. I may tell him something if I had true concern, but most times I would rather not assist him in whatever underhanded dealing he may be doing."

"You speak frankly with the assumption that I dislike Ozai," Katara said. "What if I were loyal to his reign?"

"You wouldn't be here for my son, if that were true. Also," Ursa shrugged, "The dislike between the two of you is no secret."

"Ah," Katara winced.

"As it is, I'm not looking to alienate any of the girls the way my husband has done. He's never been a warm and fuzzy lover, but he's been particularly detached during the Prince's Choice. I cannot act like that, not when so much is at stake."

"The future Fire Lady. You went through it yourself, so, you might just see it differently. Understand it from the other side," Katara pointed out.

"Ozai's Choice was an illusion at best." Ursa gave a pinched smile. "I was always the betrothed choice. He used the games as an excuse to play around before choosing me, the girl Azulon had told him to pick from the start. I have 'good breeding', being a descendant from Avatar Roku."

"He was the last one, wasn't he? The last avatar?" Katara examined Ursa, trying to figure her out.

"Yes. I do suppose it's a great shame that when he died, so did the cycle." Ursa seemed genuinely saddened. Katara bit her tongue, wondering if she knew that it was her own nation that had most likely slaughtered the airbenders. "But nevertheless...yes, the future queen of the Fire Nation is at stake, but closer to home...family is too."

When she looked at Katara, she looked downright motherly. "I look forward very much to having another daughter, Katara. Azula is...oh, well, she is her father's child," Ursa said, which was likely a nice way of saying that Azula was the daughter of hell and was not female or warm and fuzzy either.

"I suppose so." Katara recalled that Iroh had similar sentiments about the games, however, that had been very early on.

"My son is quite taken with you. He may try to hide it, but to anyone who has ever been in love, it is clear. Maybe that's why my husband has not caught on yet," Ursa said airily, and dropped such a revelation that Katara wondered how she could say it so casually. "But you must still be careful. You are right to worry about what Ozai may do. My husband is capable of terrible, terrible things." Her voice had dropped to a scarce whisper.

"Oh!" Katara didn't mean for her voice to squeak, but it was difficult not to.

"You are a powerful woman, but I would really hate for something to befall you. It is probably not wise for me to play favorites, but anyone who makes my son so happy is someone I would very much enjoy to be family with one day. However, I don't want to pressure you either, since I never got my own choice in coming into this family. Also, I would not want to let you think that things will get less dangerous. That is not a threat, it is a warning from a concerned parent," Ursa added after a moment. Katara doubted that Ursa would be one to throw threats out anyway.

"Ah, here we are," Ursa said. The walk to the family's private garden was not as far as Katara thought. "I am meeting my own parents for tea. Any other day I might have asked you join me. I would very much like a chance to talk more with you, Katara, and really have a better conversation."

"I'd like that too," Katara agreed. Ursa just smiled, brushing a strand of hair from the side of Katara's face.

"What beautiful blue eyes you have. I wish not to overwhelm you or scare you away, but a part of me cannot stop but wonder how they'd look with Zuko's dark hair and pale skin," she murmured. With that, she turned, and Katara remembered her manners and awkwardly and hastily bowed to her retreating figure.

She wasn't off-put by the audacity to speak of future children (being the Fire Lady, she had a free pass to say things). It was that Katara, in quiet moments, had wondered such things herself...if only a passing thought or dream. Katara did want children, one day. She knew a part of Zuko did too. To imagine that future was only natural.

Shaking it off, she returned to the party. Near the entrance, she ran into Aang, who she hadn't yet seen in attendance.

"I tried to hide as long as I could, you know, so that a lot of Fire Nation officials aren't grilling me about my family lineage, but I can't not appear." He dropped his voice. "Being royalty sucks."

"Yeah, no kidding," Katara said.

"You were gone forever," Sokka complained as soon as Katara reappeared, drawing out the word 'forever' to ridiculous lengths.

"Oh, hush. You can go do whatever Sokkas do now." Katara rolled her eyes. "Fire Lady Ursa asked me to walk with her. I couldn't very well say no."

"I like Ursa," Aang added.

Aang didn't have much to do, so he sat with Katara at the booth, resisting the urge to spin the beads as a party trick, he'd later mention. As the party was nearing a close, Katara noticed someone watching them. No, watching Aang.

"Kuzon, that old weird dude is staring at you," Katara whispered.

"Huh?" Aang swung his head to where Katara had nudged him to see. It was one of the Kings, but for the life of Katara, she couldn't recall the king's name. He was one of the weird ones, so Katara chastised herself for not remembering it. Right now, he was wearing a strange headpiece reminiscent of an eagle in full flight with just as ostentatious robes. He also looked ready to fall to dust at any second, he was so old. "Do you...know him?"

"Erm, no?" Aang frowned, rubbing his chin. "Oh, spirits, he's coming over."

"'Ello," The man said, stopping in front of the table. "I don't think I know you...or do I?" He was only looking at Aang and snorted in a way akin to a boar. His eyes twitched.

"Hi! I'm Master Kuzon. I'm a distant cousin of the Fire Lord, twice removed and once over, you know," Aang said, hoping that he wouldn't be required to recite the whole lineage, as other Fire Nation dignitaries had expected of him.

"Kuzon, you say." The King rubbed his chin. "Any significance to that name?" He tried to narrow his eyes, but one eye stayed wide and wild. This dude was giving Katara seriously weird vibes...not creepy or scary, just strange.

"Erm, my mom knew someone?" Aang shrugged.

"She wouldn't have possibly known," the king got right up in Aang's face, "Kuzon Tanaka?"

There was a moment of silence in which neither Aang nor the king moved, and although Katara saw fear reflected in Aang's eyes, she didn't know why.

"No?" Aang said uncertainty. The king continued to scrutinize him for a moment before he let out a bark of a laugh that sent Aang nearly toppling over backwards.

"Okay," the king said, dropping it much too quickly for as intense he'd been about it.

Aang was still tilted back, eyes wide.

"King Bumi, there you are!" His advisor followed after him, panting. "We need to go get dressed for dinner and meetings."

"I know the way! Just because I'm 116 doesn't mean I'm incapable," King Bumi said, strutting away. "Goodbye, Kuzon," he said simply.

Even after he left, Aang was still looking terrified.

"Aang?" Katara whispered, "What was that about?"

"We have a problem, Katara, a big one," Aang said.

"What?"

"He knows I'm the avatar."

THEPRINCE'SHOICE

Later that night, Zuko managed to gather Katara, along with Toph and Aang, for a meeting, since Aang hadn't stopped pacing since the gardens.

"Woah, start from the beginning," Zuko said, because once the door was closed, Aang seemed to vomit a stream of sentences that were half-concocted and made no sense.

"King Bumi, right?" Aang said, pacing. "I know him." Zuko rubbed his chin, thinking about what Aang meant by that, as Katara was doing.

"Like-"

"As in, we were friends. When we were 12," he said, turning.

"Oh." Zuko frowned. "I guess...well, he is over 100."

"When I heard his name, I figured, it can't be. Then, he made a comment about being 116 years old. That was for me, Katara, he said that specifically for my benefit." Aang had still not stopped pacing.

"Okay, so you know him. Are you sure he knows you?" Toph asked.

"I mean, a 12-year-old looks different from a 16-year-old, and you have hair now. Plus, your tattoos are always covered," Katara agreed.

"Because he does," Aang said, throwing his arms out in a panic. "He asked me if I'd been named after Kuzon Tanaka. You remember why I choose that name, Zuko?" he asked.

"In honor of Fire Nation friend you had at the age of 12 and - oh. Bumi knew Kuzon too, didn't he?"

"Yeah. We were a group - me and Bumi and Kuzon and a Northern Water Tribe boy, too. Before the world went to hell, we would always meet up. They were the first people I told I was the Avatar, right after I found out. They were my best friends." Aang ranked his fingers through his black hair. "Oh no, oh no."

"Well, are we sure this is a bad thing? I mean, he was one of your best friends 100 years ago," Toph said.

"But 100 years is a long time." Zuko's face was dark. "We can't assume anything. Plus, no offence, he's a little…" Zuko made a whirly motion around his head.

"I don't know what to do," Aang admitted.

"I say we wait," Katara pointed out. "We don't know what he's going to do with this information. Maybe nothing? I mean, he didn't out you right then and there. He seemed...friendly in a strange way."

"Agreed. We can't rush into anything," Zuko said. "However...perhaps this is a good point that things could get dangerous very quickly. I think it's time you start learning the other two elements, Aang."

"Yeah, of course, I agree." Aang nodded sharply, less anxious but not 'better'.

"Toph, you need to teach Aang earthbending," Zuko said. Toph balled her fists, punching the air.

"I get to throw rocks at Twinkletoes? Neato!" she said, which was her way of agreeing, cracking her knuckles. Aang paled a bit.

"And waterbending?" Katara said.

"You, Katara," Zuko said as though it was obvious.

"Zuko, that's great and all, but I don't know the technical side of things. I surely shouldn't be the one teaching the Avatar."

Zuko gave near sly grin. "Why do you think I was so insistent on Master Pakku teaching you?"

THEPRINCESCHOICE

In the first week after all the representatives had arrived, the palace was filled with music and dancing. While the cultures of everyone might have varied greatly, there was one surefire language that everyone understood: music.

Katara saw more instruments in the great halls than she ever had before, making strange noises that went from something akin to fingers on a chalkboard all the way to the most heavenly and melodic tunes Katara had ever experienced. She, personally, still found the instruments of her own home - flutes, soft hide-stretched drums, and little pockets that rattled - to be lovely and always made her a little homesick. But there were some string instruments from the Earth Kingdom that were just divine, and made Katara wish she knew how to play any instrument at all, since all she could really do was bang the drums back home, and not even rhythmically. However, she was a warrior, and she wouldn't give that away for anything in the world.

A lot of the usual places where she and the other girls sparred were taken by the influx of visiting dignitaries, mostly snide men who wouldn't have let the girls participate even if they were more skilled fighters. It was causing the girls to retreat back to the gardens of their own room blocks, and on more than one occasion, Katara wondered if she should tell the girls about the sparring pits? She never did, convincing herself that if anyone else naturally found it, she wouldn't stop them from going. In actuality, she liked that it was just hers and the Royal Family's, err- her's and Zuko's and Aang's, that is, since she still had yet to run into anyone else here. She was pretty happy about that. She might enjoy sparring with Lu Ten, but she doubted she'd have the courage to fight Iroh, and running into either Auzla or Ozai...she shuddered at the very thought.

She was continuing her lessons with Eva, who was picking up waterbending at a glacial pace...she was, however, picking it up. It was harder for Eva to get the wrist movements and the flow of her feet, but Katara tried not to judge too hard. Katara had been manipulating the sea water since she could remember, whereas Eva had been punished if she attempted anything with waterbending at all. It wasn't even until she was twelve years old that she was allowed to start visiting the healing hut. She'd also never looked out onto the men learning waterbending with envy, as Katara was sure she would have if she was in Eva's place. It was admirable of her to want to learn waterbending as a weapon at all.

Katara hadn't been able to find a time to fight with Pakku. It seemed that man was doing everything in his power to avoid teaching her. If it were anyone else, Katara would have told herself she was just imagining it. However, ever since the garden incident, Katara was 99% sure that it was exactly what was going on.

She was okay with letting it go, however. It seemed he was planning on staying in the palace a while after Chief Arnook took off, which meant Katara had a long time to let him be pig-headed about it. She would give it another week or so, she decided, before she brought Zuko back into the fray to force his hand.

In the coming week, Zuko also sent two more girls home. Katara knew that it hadn't been his intention to send them home with all the representatives here, but things had gotten busy and, in the end, he simply hadn't the time before the big events. He tried to do it as quietly as possible, but of course the palace was all over the events, wondering if he'd cut more girls soon. The game had already gone on longer than people were expecting, of course.

He talked with Katara about it before he cut the two girls, not as though she needed to know, but just to get her opinion on it. Luckily, they were two girls that Katara had little opinion of, at least not strong opinions that they needed to stay, so she was supportive of Zuko letting them go. It filled her stomach with a little bit of anxiety, however; two more girls gone meant two more steps toward the end.

Zuko assured her he had no other immediate plans for asking girls to leave, but that only helped a little.

The first was Andica. Katara had been feeling like her time was coming to an end for awhile now. She was a perfectly nice girl; had a good temperament and didn't have many outward flaws, but the fact of the matter was she was just so young. Not young in the way that Toph was, because very often Katara forgot that Toph was only sixteen and not eighteen like herself, but Andica was forever naive and rather mindless. She just didn't know a lot and was always confused if someone was telling dirty jokes. She simply didn't have the experiences other girls had and seemed younger than her years instead of older. Now that it was getting real, Zuko was very carefully examining the skills each girl possessed that would allow them to one day rule the Fire Nation. Andica simply didn't have any, not yet. If he were betrothed to her, he could have lived with it. But as it was, there were a great many other girls that were just older than her, and it seemed silly to keep her when Zuko didn't have the time or need to wait for her to grow up.

And, as it was, he admitted that he saw Andica as the smiley little sister Azula never was. She was pure and unblemished, and a part of Zuko wanted to keep her that way as long as he could. He knew that if she went farther, eventually, something would happen and she would be ruined.

"Let her have her days in the tall grass, enjoying life," Zuko had said. "Let her still have time to be a child."

And, if he were concerned about keeping 'kinds' of people here, Suki was still around to represent the Kyoshi warriors. He also consulted Suki before letting her go, and Suki was in agreement that her time was up.

Andica seemed to hold no ill-feelings toward Zuko, thankfully.

The second to be let go came to Zuko more unexpectedly; as Zuko was considering and consulting his list, Ishwa appeared and admitted she was terribly homesick. While Zuko even offered her time off to visit home, Ishwa asked to leave the competition.

"I realized that if I missed home so awfully like this, what would it be like if I won? I couldn't imagine myself giving it up just to be queen. I think my time has come," Ishwa told the group.

Zhi only gave a wise nod. "Thank you for telling us, Ishwa. Zuko has agreed to release you from the competition."

People were sad to see Ishwa go, but obviously most girls were thrilled with this turn of events.

Zuko came out pretty quick after to say he wasn't going to be cutting more girls soon, just so that he didn't have a handful of anxious girls on his hands for the next couple days. Two at a time was enough. This left their number at 19. For beginning with 35 girls, Katara thought Zuko was doing a great job of cutting down numbers. Most seemed to be in agreement. There was the off comment from a lord or someone else who just really needed to keep quiet, who would say something like, 'when his father had his choice, he cut twenty girls right off the bat!' Katara always held her tongue, but frankly, she was pretty sure no one should be looking at Ozai for how to run the competition.

Toph's parents left not long after they arrived, basically as soon as they had decided that Toph was acting how she should, and her own spot was guaranteed in the competition. They were around for when Andica was cut, which Katara was sure only helped things. As soon as the Bei Fongs boarded their ship, there seemed to be an entire sigh of relief, mostly from Toph. She went back to doing whatever Toph did in her free time...what, Katara wasn't entirely sure.

She didn't see Zuko much. At first, she tried not to let it bother her. But, as the days wore on...Katara couldn't say that it wasn't starting to grate on her nerves. If they were going out every night as their vigilante pair, it would be one thing, however, they'd only managed to go out twice more, and she could tell Zuko was utterly distracted by a thousand things the entire time.

She could see the strain this trade agreement was having on Zuko.

He wasn't sleeping and he was trying to single-handedly balance all of these lords himself. When Katara asked why Iroh or Lu Ten wasn't helping, as she was sure they would, Zuko said apparently his father had forbidden it.

"He said I have to do this myself and if I couldn't handle it, I shouldn't have proposed this plan," Zuko said, which made Katara's blood boil. "He won't lift a finger to help me. He's been quiet about the whole thing lately. It's a trap, somehow, I just don't know how. Or not a trap, but a test. Agni, I think I'm failing," Zuko had explained. There didn't seem much Katara could do to help him, and it was killing her.

She knew he would never agree to take a long break, such as a date, but she figured that maybe she could help him de-stress in other ways?

It started with finding his office. Since she vaguely knew where his bedroom was and where the training facility was, she figured it was as good a place as any to begin with. She tried asking Aang, but he was pretty useless in that respect. She asked Aiga, and she got the feeling Aiga knew, but wasn't going to tell her, for perhaps obvious reasons. Finally, she decided to ask Toph, since it seemed she knew where everything was in the castle far too well.

"Ooh, steamy," Toph said, raising an eyebrow.

"Not like that! I just want to do something nice for him," Katara said, face blushing.

"Aww, that's no fun. Sparky could probably do with getting laid." Toph was far too casual about it. "But whatever. I'll tell you where it is. I'd draw a map, but…."

"Yeah, I know."

"I'd get Sokka to draw you a map, but that might be even less helpful," Toph snickered, and Katara couldn't disagree. Sokka truly had a lack of artistic skills, despite thinking so highly of them.

So, she armed herself with a small basket of food and made time to scurry to his office the next day. She sure hoped that Toph wasn't just pulling her chain and she'd be walking into Ozai's war room, and she wondered if she even could be so confident that Toph knewwhere it was at all.

She reached a gilded door in the Family area, but nothing else indicated that it may be Zuko's office. If it was Iroh's, she was sure Iroh would understand. He may or may not direct her correctly, so she was just praying to get it right on the first time.

She knocked hesitantly.

There was a pause. Maybe he wasn't in here?

"Yes?" Zuko called from the other side. Spirits, he sounded frazzled.

Katara pushed open the door with utter confidence she hadn't owned a second ago.

"Katara?" Zuko looked up from a swarth of papers, some of them falling to the ground as he moved his hands. "What...how…"

"You are in need of a break, Prince Zuko," Katara said playfully, holding up her basket. She hadn't meant to make it reminiscent of their first date, but here it was.

Zuko gave her a tight smile, "While I appreciate this, and I don't even want to know how you found my office-"

"Ahh, nope!" Katara cut him off. "I'm not asking for hours. I'm asking for half an hour, at most. When was the last time you even ate?" She'd noticed how pale he looked lately, how he'd been absent from meals. And, if he attended, he spent his time talking or hosting to dignitaries. Katara wondered if Ozai's whole plot was to run Zuko into the ground. It was working, if that was the goal.

From the way that Zuko's jaw twitched, she knew she had him. She was terrified to hear how long it had been since a meal, and he wasn't going to tell her, ashamed.

"Well, then this is a necessity," Katara said, locking the door. "The world will continue spinning if you take half an hour to enjoy all the food that Aiga worked so hard to get for us," she said, setting the basket down on his desk, covering up whatever he'd been working on.

Zuko didn't answer for a long moment. He finally unearthed what looked like a planner, glancing at the sun's position outside.

"Well, I guess I have about two more hours until my next meeting and-"

"Perfect! Now, put that down and you eat," Katara commanded. Zuko gave a wry smile at her sharp tone, holding up his hands in defeat.

Katara started laying out the dishes on the ground and grabbed a pair of pillows so they could lounge on the floor of his office. She began to put all the paper that laid strewn about in piles, wondering how Zuko was even surviving this trade deal? It seemed much bigger than any one person. They chatted casually for a little bit about what the girls were up to, and Zuko told Katara about some of his more difficult dignitaries. They laughed about the whole thing and Katara told Zuko with excited eyes about the progress Aang was making with Shoji. Zuko began to discuss the steps he still had ahead of him for this whole event, and it seemed insurmountable for any single person to shoulder. She waited for a pause in his breathless explaining.

"I want to help," she told him.

"You can't. Ozai's orders," Zuko sighed.

"Well, does he have to know? Is there something I can do to speed things along?" Katara pressed.

"Katara, let's not give my father any reason more to target you. And no, the South has been the easiest of all to negotiate with. I think your brother has been putting in a couple good words for me," he said, the tips of his ears growing red.

"Oh, no. Has my father said something? Threatened you?" she said, forgetting that her dad might do something embarrassing like that.

"Only a little, as a good father should," Zuko laughed. He paused. "What does your family think of your being here? Do they...know?"

"Some." Katara frowned. "I mean, I told them that I was doing this mostly for them. Do they know that everything I feel for you doesn't exist, well…"

Zuko was regarding her carefully.

"Everything?" he echoed.

"Used to not exist, that is," Katara corrected herself carefully. "I think I made it clear that my opinions of being here are not what they used to be." She took big bites of her food to avoid saying anything more.

"I think they know that you like me. Or that I like you. One of the two," Zuko said, surprisingly unconcerned about it. He leaned and put his arm around Katara's shoulder, a friendly motion as he dug in., "Agni, yeah, I needed food."

"Do I need to follow you around to make sure you eat, Zuko?" Katara asked, glad the conversation had steered back into joking territory.

"I wouldn't say no to that, if only to have you around me more. Gods, Katara, you have no idea how much I want to talk to you during this whole difficult mess. I know if you were by my side, everything would seem so much easier." He picked up his arm from her shoulders and she instantly missed the contact. "I guess that's what the Fire Lady is for," he said quieter, rubbing his neck.

Katara tried to swallow quietly. "Yeah."

There was a silence between both of them, when the air hung with charged energy. Zuko seemed to be eating fast, but she was sure it was because he was very busy and not because he wanted to get away from this conversation. For Katara, it was the latter.

"Anyway," Zuko said, brushing crumbs from his lips and downing his drink, "I'm glad you brought that to me." He handed the basket back to Katara.

She set it behind her, placing herself in front of Zuko to glance over his things on the desk.

"Hey, uh…"

"No one knows I'm here," Katara said. "So I can stay as long as I please. Plus, is someone going to punish me just for looking?" she asked, using her palms to slide the documents she was looking at toward her. A lot she didn't understand, or wouldn't without someone explaining his shorthand notes. But, she was getting the jist of it. Maybe she could organize this for him, surly that wouldn't be breaking the rules? She explained this to him, trying to show him what she meant by grasping a stack of loose parchment.

"Like in a book, or something. Easier than having two million pages all over. How can you find anything?" Katara asked, turning around to him, leaning against the desk.

"You just can't help yourself." Zuko gave a long sigh.

"No, not when you're killing yourself over all of this! You'll be dead before the trade agreements even finish," Katara said. She braced her fingers into the groves of the edge of the desk, frowning at him.

Zuko was wearing his more casual garb, having taken off his official uniform to eat. He was just so simple looking; he looked like a normal citizen, not the Prince and heir to the Fire Nation. His hair was hanging down, shaggy in front his eyes, instead of the attempt to pull it into the top knot he often did. Katara was overcome with the urge to kiss him, her eyes definitely hesitating a moment too long on his lips.

But she did not, as much she wanted to. She held herself back.

"Katara, my father could-"

"Fuck your father!" Katra was tired of it all. "I mean, seriously. I care about my own well-being, don't get me wrong, but I would gladly give that safety away to help you. You're my best friend Zuko, and I can't sit here just doing nothing any longer," she said firmly, "So...there!"

Zuko gave a dry laugh. "I should be glad to have you as a friend, then," he said, and Katara relaxed, glad of her outburst now.

"A friend is even too small of a word. Zuko, you're...we're…" Katara tried to form words. "Look, I know you'll never ask me, so I'm offering it. I'll organize these papers, I'll act stupid and doe-eyed in front of the more difficult dignitaries that are dragging their feet, I'll seduce one...just tell me what you need me to do."

There was a little pause.

"I think that organizing should be fine for now, but I'm glad you'd  _seduce_  someone on my behalf," he said. Katara felt her cheeks redden, her words catching up to her. Zuko gave her a smile. "You know, sometimes I really love you, Katara."

The mood of the entire room changed. Katara went entirely stiff, unable to breathe. Zuko, however, was all over the place, wringing his hands and breathing deeply like he was having a heart attack.

"I mean, when I said 'I love you' I meant it not like  _that_. Like, how I say to my sister, 'oh I love you', that is, if I ever said it to her. And, that doesn't mean that I love you like a family member, because that would be gross because I do  _like_  you in a very non-familial way but do I love you? I mean, you know when words just slip out, and it's just a phrase-" Zuko was talking a thousand miles a minute, not pausing for Katara to say anything at all. It seemed as though she hadn't helped him relax at all, but thrown him into a full-on panic.

"Zuko," Katara finally found her voice. "I, uh, I get it. It's fine."

"It is?" Zuko's voice was high, like he wasn't getting enough oxygen. She wasn't sure he'd inhaled since he'd begun talking.

"Yes," Katara said, but she still hadn't moved. "I promise. I mean, if it makes you feel better...I might be starting to really, really fall for you too."

There was a moment where it seemed Zuko didn't know what to do, and then it was like his brain just short-circuited. It might have been because he actually did love Katara and that was not how he meant to say it, or he hadn't but he was realizing he did, or it could have been that her own declaration just totally shattered whatever resolve he had left, but overall it seemed that when Zuko was backed against a wall, all of his carefulness just went right out the window. Katara wished she could see inside his brain right now, because even she wasn't sure what led Zuko from staring at Katara in horror at his slip up to the next movement, which was kissing her.

 _Thank spirits_ , Katara could only think to herself, glad he did it and not her.

Their kisses had been growing in curiosity since their initial one, but this was bounds and leaps past anything Zuko had tried with her before.

The kiss from the start was hot, both literally and figuratively. His body seemed to envelop Katara's, folding around her so all she felt was the heat of his skin. And his tongue, oh spirits…

She was so preoccupied about the way that his tongue was slipping past her own lips that she didn't even notice his hands, as they crept from her shoulder, down her waist, and rested on her hips. That is, she didn't notice until he grasped her up, sitting her on his desk. Katara gave a squeak of surprise at the movement.

"This okay?" Zuko asked, his lips trailing the shape of her jawbone, up to her ear. Katara, too overwhelmed and pleased and turned on, only nodded in response. She heard him chuckle low in his throat, returning to nip at her soft skin.

She wanted Zuko to short-circuit more often, Katara decided, if this was what happened when his mind broke and he was forced to act just on instincts.

He used one of his hands to nudge her legs apart. His fingers trailed to the edge of her soft summer dress, not hiking it up per say, but just so carefully edging it up further and further. Katara only noticed that happening with half her brain, since the other half was more concerned about kissing Zuko senseless. By the time that her skirt was bunched around her waist, Zuko's large palm rested on the top of her thigh, fingers digging softly into the skin in response when Katara pulled him closer against her. For as commandeering he'd been instigating the kiss, he had kept himself a careful distance away, touching, but only as much as he dared. Maybe Katara wouldn't have done so, but it seemed that he didn't mind being pressed harder against her. She was glad she didn't have to restrain her own burning want for him.

He fit right between the V of her legs, and she laced her ankles behind him, locking him in. She saw immediately why he'd been keeping himself a foot away, or, perhaps more aptly, she  _felt_. She didn't hesitate to press against him harder, and the groan that ripped from his lips was perhaps the most glorious thing Katara had ever heard. She'd imagined it in her mind so many times, but nothing could have compared to reality.

Bravely, she grasped one of his wrists, guiding his fingers to her breasts, allowing him to touch them above her clothes.

His hand that had been holding her skirts up slid underneath her bottom, then up to the small of her back to steady her as he leaned her back, closer and closer, almost so her back was on his desk.

This was better than any late-night scenario Katara could have fathomed, mostly because she wasn't sure what Zuko's next move would be. She wondered how far this was going to go; how far she'd want it to go, how far he wanted it to go.

She never got to find out. There was a sharp rapping on the door.

"Prince Zuko? I know it's early, but I hoped that perhaps we could go over my region's projections now?"

Zuko untangled himself, and when he exhaled through his nose, Katara saw literal steam. She was still close enough to feel how rapidly his heart was fluttering and she was sure hers was the same.

"Lord Ahm, I am quite busy so you'll have to respect the time that we both had set up," Zuko managed to say, his voice strangled.

"Oh, I know," the disembodied voice argued from the other side, "But I think-"

"No. We will meet in the tea hall at our agreed upon time," Zuko snapped a little bit too harshly. He winced, shaking his head at his own tone.

"If you insist. I'll see you soon, Prince Zuko," the man said, sounding the smallest bit terrified, but nevertheless hurrying away.

Zuko sighed, turning around.

"Sort of ruined the mood, huh?" Katara asked, highly turned on and frustrated. But, did she really want to continue whatever this had been on a desk?

Zuko turned, giving her an apologetic smile. "Unfortunately so." He paused. "Did you enjoy that?"

"Did I…" Katara coughed, shocked. "Of course I enjoyed it! Too much, probably," she admitted. She paused, scrutinizing him. "Wait a second! You hadn't kissed anyone up until a bit ago. Who told you how to do that with a woman? I'm guessing for obvious reasons it wasn't Lu Ten, and if you say Aang, I'm never going to recover I think," she said. "Oh, god, it was Aang wasn't it? I thought monks were basically celibate!"

"No! Not Aang, ech," Zuko shuddered. "We talk about girls and I mean, he knows it's partly up to him to repopulate the Air Nomads and stuff if we don't find a ton more benders like him, but he knows less than I do. I don't know, I hear the guards talk! And a lot was just...I just went with it. What was feeling good," he admitted.

"You're on the right track, I'll tell you that," Katara said, grinning at him.

Zuko's smile faltered a bit.

"What?" Katara asked.

"I was just thinking of what you said before. That you might be falling really for me. I...that shouldn't be enough, not at this stage in the competition. 'Mights' shouldn't be enough," he said, frowning, and for one terrible second Katara wasn't sure how to respond. "But Agni, I'm selfish. I'm so selfish. I'll take whatever you give me for as long as you'll give it to me. If any other girl told me they only might be invested, I'd tell them that they should go home, but you're not the other girls. Hearing that you even 'might' anything just took me over. It affects me like you have no idea, Katara." His voice had taken a low, throaty roughness that was positively sinful.

She felt her whole face blush and she looked down at the carpet. "Oh, I have an idea."

"Yeah, I guess you do," Zuko didn't seem half as embarrassed about his display as he was about the whole 'l-word' slip. "And I guess, sometimes I'm not sure what you want of me. You hold me an arm's length away but then you let us do that. You want to do that, I know it, I felt it too. And you say these really vague things and I just...I mean, I already told you that I'm not upset, not per se…" He lifted her chin with a finger. "I'm just a little confused, Katara," he admitted.

Katara met his golden eyes. "You're right." Her voice quivered. "That's not fair to you. I want you, all the time, Zuko. And I meant it when I said I'm well on my way to passing a point of no return, and I find myself unwilling to pull back. But that's all I can give you right now, and I wish it were more. Spirits, do I," Katara admitted.

Zuko tilted a head, taking his hand back slowly. "For now, I will accept that. As long as we continue to be open with each other, I can't force anything more," he said nodding.

Katara bit her lip. Zuko began to shuffle his papers, and Katara put away the things from the inside picnic. She noticed that Zuko slipped a large stack of papers into her basket and sent her a soft, glowing smile. Katara nodded, shoving them down a little farther in so no one saw.

"I'll be able to return these to you later today, and if you have more, we'll pass them off later," she said.

"Katara, really, thanks," he said. She knew he wasn't just thanking her for organizing his mess of papers, but for being willing to incite the wrath of his father. Katara was happy she could help in any small way.

At the door, Zuko pulled her back in for another quiet kiss. It was maybe supposed to be quiet, Katara thought, but in only a second it was mounting back up to the same intensity of their kiss before.

"Sure we don't have time for anything?" Katara asked, panting.

"No, it's probably a bad idea," Zuko groaned, pulling back as though it was the hardest thing he'd done. "Now go before I change my mind."

"Is that a promise?" Katara asked coquettishly, bolder than she'd been before. Zuko's eyes flashed.

"Out, you," he growled. "Please?"

Katara laughed, kissing his cheek in an impulsive moment, leaving Zuko's room glowing but at the same time so terribly wishing they hadn't been interrupted or she could have swayed him or something.

She stuffed the papers in her desk drawer before returning the basket to Aiga.

As soon as Aiga saw her, her eyes widened.

"Katara!" she said, "Agni!"

"What? Do I have sauce on my dress? I told you dressing in white was a bad idea!" Katara said, beginning to scour her dress for drips.

Aiga wordlessly shook her head, spinning Katara around to face a mirror. Katara gasped, stepping forward. Zuko had left a gigantic purpling love bit where her neck met her shoulders.

"Has anyone else seen you?" Aiga asked. "Oh, the Prince should know better! You make him lose all sense, Katara!" she said, half-frustrated and half-amused.

"I didn't even know he did it." Katara didn't want to admit it probably happened somewhere between where her hands shouldn't have been and his teasing nips.

"Here." Aiga threw a silk scarf at her. "We need to find a way to cover that or there will be talk. Talk I'm sure you don't want to happen. Plus, it's simply improper, and I'm sure the Royal Family would have words about it. Not to mention your family-"

"Ah, okay, okay. I get it. Let no one see." Katara held up a hand, not sure if she was more horrified about her father or Ozai seeing it.

She tried wrapping the scarf around her neck to seem casual, but nothing much worked.

"I guess you might just have to wait until it gets a little better," Aiga said.

_Damn you, Zuko._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one can say these chapters aren't action-filled! I'm very excited to hear your thoughts on it, and thoughts on how the end of the story is going to play out, considering we only have 2 chapters left :0
> 
> I do have some exciting news! I've chosen a name for the series. It will be called 'A Delicate Subterfuge'. It's not a huge deal, but i'll be referring to the series as so from now on, probably calling it ADS!Verse or ADS universe if I write tie-ins or such :)
> 
> I've also been pretty busy updating other stuff. If you like Fremione, I updated my Fremione multi-chap 'A Design in Copper and Bronze'. If you like Bonkai, I posted a one-shot I wrote for Bonkai Day called 'Two Can Keep A Secret'. Lastly, I decided to update some of the Zutara shorts I've written for reviewers onto , so if you ever wanted to read some of them, I have one of them called 'Chromatics' as a one-shot and I decided to make the college!AU ones a small series. that one is called 'Everclear, Frat Houses, and Other College Adventures'. So, drop by any of those and leave a review if you so please :)
> 
> And OMGFGUYS OMFG I'm updating this at work right now and AZIZ ANSARI is staying at our hotel! I nearly had a panic attack when he walked through the door. I'm tryin to be super chill about it and sneak a picture, but I'm not sure if I can. Funnily enough, the valets were watching Parks and Rec on their phones and when he walked into the hotel, one of them thought he was dreaming or high. What kind of mindfuck would that be, to be watching a show and look up to see one of the actors right in front of you? I'm just super excited and a little freaked by it XD


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's so late y'all. I've had the worst headache all day and it was making it worse looking at a screen. After a long bath, lots of water, and lots of napping I think it's okay now...
> 
> So, a reviewer pointed out that Katara could just heal the hickey with her healing powers. I considered trying to write up an explanation like Katara wasn't that good at healing to fix it or it was in an awkward spot for her to reach or because her hands were burned she didn't want to try healing her neck lest something bad happen, but I'll be honest...it was just a moment in which I forgot XD So, yeah, it's a small continuity thing but I thought I'd be up front 'bout it.

Katara tried all her makeup, but nothing was strong enough to cover the very obvious hickey on the side of her neck.

So, she really only had one option: to hide out in her room in shame until the mark didn't look quite so violently purple and could be covered by makeup. Perhaps if she'd ever worn a scarf before this, she could have passed it off as her usual fashion statement, but as it was, even wearing the scarf to go to the bathroom made it itch like mad.

She wondered if Zuko even knew he'd done that. He had to; how could he not?

Luckily, Toph was nowhere to be found, because she would be ruthless with her teasing if she figured it out. It was a small miracle that Toph was blind, because Katara was almost sure that she could hide it from Toph, if the occasion called for it. If Sokka was around, though, then he'd either never let her live it down ( _ugg, no wonder Toph and Sokka had become such good friends_ ) or he'd go and break Zuko's nose. Perhaps both.

Only a handful of other girls asked about Katara while she was in hiding. She had planned another training session with Eva, but claimed she was feeling under the weather and didn't want to infect anyone else. Eva was immediately worried about another poison scare, but Katara did a good job of faux sniffling and sneezing to ease her worry. Eva managed to spread the news around to the other girls, which took care of most of the problem. Suki and Alcina knocked on her door during the day to ask if she needed anything, but Katara just pretended to be asleep.

Luckily, she was not without things to do. Zuko had zero sense of organization. Or, maybe he usually did, but this whole event was throwing him off. Either way, she spent a long time going through the tree's worth of paper he had handed off to her, trying to imagine the most logical way to sort and bind these documents. Some papers would need to be taken in and out, while others were just needed as references. Katara also unabashedly examined each sheet to its full potential, knowing she was going to squeeze herself into this problem in other ways, whether or not Zuko wanted her to!

Half-way through the day, Aiga appeared with more papers that Zuko had been unable to gather in their short time to dump on Katara, which just gave her more things to organize. Her room looked like a library had exploded.

She enjoyed it, though. Not just because it gave her a view into the life of Zuko that no other girl was getting, but also because she enjoyed the challenge of having to create something. She wasn't the inventor in her family, that was Sokka. She, more than once, nearly called him in to help, but thought about having to explain the scarf or just let him see the hickey and immediately banished such thoughts. No; Katara could figure this out herself.

Aiga was overly helpful with fetching random things for Katara to assemble a book, including scraps of leather hide from other books, twine, glue, paint, and an assortment of other supplies Katara didn't know she needed until she saw it in the bin.

She spent the next day and a half working on this. Every so often, Aiga would appear to fetch a handful of papers that Zuko needed for this meeting or that, but would always bring them back. After the first twelve hours, her neck looked much better, making Katara hopeful that by the next couple days, the heaviest of makeup that she owned would be able to effectively cover it.

One thing that couldn't be covered, and made Katara equally glad she was holed up alone? Her thoughts. Whenever she thought of her neck she'd flash back to the moments that led up to it and get all warm in the most uncomfortable way all over again. She'd been keeping things chaste between them, because it seemed that was the speed Zuko wanted, and she'd been okay with that. Since that kiss? Agni, she wasn't sure she was going to be able to go back to how things were before, now that she'd tasted that side of him, now that she knew how he was...how he felt.

Spirits above, she was no better than a teenage boy!

But most teenager boys were just looking for their next release. When Katara thought of Zuko, she got warm fuzzies in her stomach that were completely non-sexual in nature, too. She had meant it. Katara was falling and falling hard for him. Just thinking of him caused a smile so gentle to cross her face that she was sure she looked like an idiot.

It made her really wonder about their future.

A day and a half after the incident, Aiga entered her room.

"I'm nearly done, I think I figured out how to do this," Katara said, holding up something that wasn't the most impressive bound set of papers. At least Ozai would likely think that Zuko made it, because it certainly didn't look like the fine work of a female crafter.

"That's great, actually. How's the neck?" Aiga asked. Katara got herself up from the floor and brushed her hair to one side of her neck. She used her makeup sponge to dab at it with the covering cream.

"Dunno, what's the verdict?"

"I think it's fine now, or at least, better," Aiga said. "I'm glad to see that, because Eva is really disappointed you couldn't come out today for her birthday celebration."

Somewhere in the back of Katara's mind, she recalled that Eva's birthday was soon and that they'd been talking about how maybe Zuko would throw a party. A couple others had passed their birthdays, but only a few had been comfortable and known enough in the competition to have a party for them.

"I did want to go to that." Katara knit her eyebrows together. "Not noticeable?" she asked.

"I think," Aiga went to her closet, "If we pair it with this dress and some tasteful long braids, we can pull it off." Aiga was holding up one of Katara's dresses that was high-necked. She grabbed a gentle handful of hair, showing Katara vaguely what she planned to do for the styling. She also dabbed some powder onto the cream to keep it in place.

"It won't be strange that I was sick yesterday and miraculous better now?" Katara pointed out.

"No one is watching that hard. And, we can just play it off as a stomach bug. Maybe throw in a cough or sneeze if it suits you," Aiga suggested.

"Sure, yeah. Frankly, I'm getting a little sick of sorting papers. I've gotten so many paper cuts it's not even funny," Katara chuckled. As much as she enjoyed helping Zuko, she could easily see how taxing this work was, and she'd only done it for a day and a half!

Aiga helped Katara into the dress and pulled her hair into thick braids, half it outside of the braids, pinning and spraying it stiffly to one side. She did a trick where she tied one of the bands to Katara's lace neckline to hold her at least one braid firmly over the bite on her neck. Then, to tie it together, she added little bulbs of flowers throughout the braids and did Katara's makeup accordingly.

"See? And, a birthday is occasion enough for the extras," Aiga said, sniffing one of the flower petals still remaining in her hand.

"Great! Shall we?" Katara asked, patting her braids.

Eva's party was already underway when she arrived. There were soft blue streamers up, and all of the representatives from the Water Tribes were around. Katara wondered if Chief Arnook even knew who Eva was before she was selected for The Choice. She knew that Eva was middling in status (Kilee being the contestant of least social importance from the Northerners) but doing this would certainly set Eva up with a good husband later on, because the North cared about that sort of thing.

Sokka saw Katara first.

"Oh, good! I heard you were sick, Kats," he said, jumping next to her.

"It's mostly passed now. Just a day thing," Katara waved him off, but sneezed for good measure.

"Agh, stay away from me, don't get me sick." Sokka jumped back.

"Come back here, I want to sneeze on you," Katara teased.

Across the way, Katara saw Master Pakku. She made a mental note to insist he set a date for their first lesson while she was here.

"Where's Toph?" Katara wondered out loud, not seeing her loud-mouthed friend.

"Why would I know where Toph is?" Sokka asked, laughing nervously. "She's your friend."

"I'm not sure, you two just seem to hang out a lot," Katara said. "Don't worry, I'm not offended. Toph is a handful. I love her, but she's a little overwhelming. I'm glad she has someone else to bother sometimes." Katara said good naturedly.

"Oh, well, er, last I heard she was metalbending some expensive Fire Nation stuff, just for shits and giggles," Sokka said, seemingly a bit more relaxed. "But, of course, we don't know this," he said with a wink.

"As long as she can bend it back then I'll have nothing to say about it," Katara said, making a motion to zip her lips together. Sokka's grin was wide.

"Princes Katara," A male voice said. She steeled herself, forcing a smile.

"Hahn, hello," she said. Hahn bothered her in ways she couldn't even explain. The other boy here, Arrluk, the cousin, Katara much preferred, if she had to choose. Arrluk wasn't bad, he was just small and didn't seem strong enough to lead a nation at all. He needed a strong wife, Katara decided. Someone like Suki. Not that Katara would ever put Suki with him - she liked Suki far too much - but someone like Suki. Maybe he was looking for that sort of girl here too, since he was over talking with Ratana currently.

Hahn, however, seemed to size up every girl with hungry eyes. Katara felt a shiver of warning rise up her neck every time he turned to her.

"Enjoying the party?"

"She just got here," Sokka said, having picked up on his 'creeper-vibes' on day one, "Duh."

"It was a question, Sokka, calm yourself."

"That's Prince Sokka, I believe," Katara corrected him with a hard edge.

"Care to dance?"

"Not really," Katara said honestly. She was under no obligation to be nice to Hahn. It was Chief Arnook who was making the trade agreements, not him. Plus, Katara enjoyed seeing Hahn's skin crawl.

"Now,  _that_  wasn't really a question, Katara," he said, moving forward to grab her wrist. She sidestepped him easily.

"I know," Katara said. "However, since I have just arrived, I must find the birthday girl and wish her good tiding and all."

"A dance later then?" Katara did not enjoy the way he looked at the bare skin of her shoulders. Katara forced the most sickeningly sweet smile.

"When pigs fly, Hahn."

She left before she could see his response, but she hoped he was standing there in anger and horror.

She could not wait until he left the palace.

Katara found Suki before she found Eva. Sokka was still trailing behind her for good measure, sending warning glares back at Hahn.

"Hi Suki!" Katara waved.

"Hi, Katara. Glad to see that you look better. Hello, Sokka," she greeted the siblings.

"What's up, Suki?" Sokka asked.

"Sokka, you don't need to keep following me. Besides, I was just being nice for Hanh's benefit. If he comes near me again, between the two of us, we'll knock him on his ass," Katara said.

"Ugg, him? Yes please!" Suki cracked her knuckles.

Sokka looked ready to argue, until he saw Toph enter the room from the corner of his eye. "Well, if you're sure you're fine…"

"Yeah. Perfectly fine." Katara, however, had not noticed Toph's entrance. "Go raid the food table." She shoved him away.

"Fine, fine. He so much as sniffs in your direction, he's dead," Sokka threatened. Katara was glad she had Sokka as a brother. She turned back to Suki to see her examining Sokka with a curious expression, rubbing her chin. When she caught Katara's raised eyebrow, she gave a shrug.

"Why are all the good, cute guys not interested?" Suki gave a long sigh.

"Sokka? You find him cute?" Katara tried not to gag. "I mean, I'm pretty, so I guess he is too, because he's me but a boy but...anyway, he knows everyone here is in a competition, so he's not trying to win over girls' hearts. Trust me, if this was a free for all, he'd be embarrassing me left and right."

"Uh-huh," Suki said, but it sounded like she didn't really believe it.

"Really! He's a ladies' man," Katara insisted. "Besides, Zuko is interested in you."

"Not the way he's interested in you. And, that's okay," Suki insisted. "But anyway, isn't this party great? I think Prince Zuko is even going to detach himself from whatever has kept him so busy to wish Eva a happy birthday himself."

"Oh, he should! He needs to take a nice long break," Katara said, to which Suki nodded in firm agreement.

"Oh! There's Eva! Wow, doesn't she look great," Suki said, and Katara finally caught a glimpse of the birthday girl. It seemed she'd just made her appearance, in typical late-is-better fashion.

"Wow," Katara agreed. While a lot of the girls' dresses were casual, Katara's own ending just below her knees, Eva's dress was not only a ballgown but also had a full train on the back of it. The fabric was a soft swirl of blues and purples, and the train was lined with soft white fur from the North. It was something that had everyone's eyes on her. Eva often fell under the radar, but today, she was practically radiant. Special care had been made to this dress, more care than before. And, if there was ever a time to be dressed to the top, it was on a day that was supposed to be about you anyway, Katara decided.

Eva was beaming, happier than Katara had maybe ever seen her. Her black hair, which was often pulled into one long braid, was flowing freely across her back, shining like a slate of onyx, except for one part of her hair, which was styled on the top of her head in the traditional Royal Family bun. It looked like it was meant to be there; it was a very strategic move, showing how natural the hairstyle looked on her head. Katara could see a vision in which Eva took the throne as the Fire Lady, dressed like this. Eva curtsied to the clapping before dancing lightly on her heels. When she spun, her hair danced like fairies were tugging on it, and Eva herself seemed ethereal.

In the corner, Nadhari looked furious.

Katara knew Nadhari's birthday wasn't far after Eva's, maybe a week or two from now (because frankly, that's all anyone heard from Nadhari of late), but Eva had stolen everyone's thunder. She'd done it first and no one would be able to make an entrance or spectacle or doll themselves up like this again, if they didn't want to look like they were stealing Eva's ideas, at least.

 _Good_ , Katara thought, good that Nadhari had to change whatever plans she had. Besides, Eva deserved something like this. She was glad to see her finally coming out of her shell.

Eva played a good hostess. Yue stuck by her to help her with the more high-class norms for an event like this, but it seemed as though Eva was catching on pretty quickly. Yue only seemed thrilled that her friend and fellow Northerner was garnering so much attention. Ru was hovering around her with an artist to capture this moment, and the artist was furiously scribbling in a sketchbook trying to capture every moment of Eva and her dress.

She finally made it around to Suki and Katara.

"God, you look beautiful," Katara said, leaning forward to hug her. "Happy birthday!"

"A year ago, did you ever think you'd be celebrating like this?" Suki asked, grinning at Eva and motioning around.

"No, never!" Eva's eyes were full of sparkles. "My mother will love the pictures that they draw of me. She'll be so happy to see me wearing this. I hope she can visit soon," Eva said, playing with the beading on her dress.

"I'll be sure to mention that to my father. The other girls would be glad to see family, too," Yue agreed kindly, looking back. "Seeing my own father had been wonderful, you know. Makes the homesick ease away just a bit."

Katara understood that. She felt she could go on now that she'd had time to enjoy her father's, grandmother's, and brother's company.

"I'm sorry I had to cancel our practice the other day," Katara said, because she found she enjoyed teaching Eva. It was because of this she was sure she could teach Aang too, when she was a better waterbender herself.

"Oh, I want you to feel better, of course," Eva said, kind as ever. "We'll just make our next one longer. It's really beautiful, you know! I was almost thinking that I'd try to do some waterbending here at my party, out there on the patio, but I think I'd ruin my dress." She laughed.

"Bending is beautiful," Katara agreed. "There's a certain...dance to fighting, you know?" she added, sending a quick smile to Suki. Ever since their first spar, they'd gotten into a good routine with each other in which neither tried to win, but neither tried to lose. Suki and Katara used each other to strengthen their skills and in the end, it looked more like a show than anything else.

"Oh! I've heard of forms of that!" Yue said, eyes lighting up. "Do you and Suki do that?"

"Something like that, albeit unintentionally," Suki said.

"Can you do it here?" Eva clapped her hands together. At their hesitation, she added, "Please? As a birthday present to me?"

Suki laughed. "Can't argue with that," Katara shrugged.

Eva managed to quiet the room effectively and the pair stood on the bricks of the patio. Someone brought out a tub of water for Katara, and Suki took one of her fans from a spot at her ankle.

"Real careful," Suki said, motioning to their dresses. "And, it's just for fun." That was, to say, they'd make more of a point of doing pretty things than exhausting themselves. Katara felt herself searching, but Pakku had already left. Katara bit her lip, disappointed he wouldn't see this. She'd just show him in their first lesson, she decided.

Katara started up by rising a wave up, sparkling it over the lights and misting half it into the crowd. When it refracted through the lantern, there was a rainbow and the group let out ' _oohs and ahhs'_. She sent the wave toward Suki, and Suki danced around it, her fans swiping near Katara's hips. Of course, Katara knew the trick, and so it was easy to twirl away.

And after that, it was as easy as breathing. The push and the pull between the two of them, the groundedness of Suki's moves and the fluidness of Katara's. There was an enjoyment of using her waterbending like this; not to heal, but not to fight either. Just to use it, which was so rarely talked about. She knew Suki felt that way too, to flash her fans just to see the metal twinkle.

For a second, there was no Nadhari and her deep seething glares. No Ozai and his nefarious plots. No Azula and her mind games. No Zuko and choices having to be made that Katara wasn't ready to make. No secret Avatars or airbenders in hiding. There was just Katara, flicking her fingers, with her skirt twirling out around her, as she made ribbons of it in the sky.

When Suki looked at Katara and caught her eye, they knew it was done. They ended with their arms crossed, Katara's water freezing at ice at her fingers and Suki's fans shuttered, creating a great 'X', both of their bodies perfectly poised.

Katara looked back, excited to see Eva's response. Eva was thrilled, but beyond that, standing at the entrance of the room, was Zuko.

Katara's breath caught in her throat at the look he was giving her. It was just one of complete and utter awe, for both of Suki and Katara, she guessed, but the look beyond that...it was all for her. It was a look of a man in love. Not a man who flubbed his 'I love you' or said it like one would say to a friend, but a man properly in love.

"Prince Zuko!" Eva turned, thrilled, and the whole room showed him the respect he deserved. Katara curtsied low, trying to keep in the smile that bubbled to the surface.

When she looked up, Zuko was doing a bad job of not looking at Katara, specifically how he was trying to avoid the place where her braid fell over her neck. From his self-satisfied smirk, he totally knew what was under there.

Katara sent him a small, closed-lipped grin and shook her head, as though chastising him. It was all Zuko could do to not turn bright red, as he was, no doubt, replaying memories in his mind, too.

"Well, don't let the party stop on my account! I think the birthday girl deserves some cake, don't you?" Zuko said, and the party resumed itself.

Katara deposited her bending water on the grass outside and tried not to go right up to Zuko immediately. She let Eva drag him toward where the cake was, so she could enjoy her birthday with the prince.

Zuko was waving for someone to bring the desert over and was doling out pieces. Suki brought a piece to Katara, and the pair regained their breaths, shoveling the sweet honey cake into their mouths and watching how animated Eva was with Zuko. Eventually, Zuko stepped away to talk for a moment with Chief Arnook, but had promised Eva at least once dance with her before the end of the evening. Eva looked like she was in a dream.

Somewhere between most of the ladies finishing their cake and everyone moving around once again to dance to the music, there was a horrified shriek over by where Eva had been sitting.

"Oh, my spirits, I'm so sorry!"

Katara stood up to see Eva close to tears and Nadhari standing over her, gunk of some kind all in Eva's hair.

"I just tripped! You stood up and I swerved and, my god, I've made a mess of things!" Nadhari's tone sounded sincere, but Katara was positive that Nadhari had fallen back into her old ways. From the way that Toph was frowing on the other side of the room, Katara knew it was all a carefully constructed ruse on Nadhari's part.

Eva tried to finger the concoction out of her hair, but it just came back sticky and in clumps, making it worse. All that careful planning and makeup, ruined. This is when Eva truly did burst into tears, running from the room.

"Lady Eva! Wait," Zuko said, following, which Katara was glad about.

"I really didn't mean it!" Nadhari was pleading her case to anyone who would hear. She looked mortified and completely horrified, and Katara was furious to see some people nodding in sympathy. But Katara couldn't focus on that now; she needed to check on Eva. Toph followed Katara near the door.

"That bitch!" Toph snarled.

"Make sure Nadhari goes nowhere," Katara instructed, glaring back at the devious girl.

"Why?"

"Because...just do it!" Katara was angry, but angry at herself. She should have told Zuko everything about Nadhari before. She should have never believed her sob story or redemption act. She should have made Zuko get rid of her from the start. Well, no one fooled Katara twice! Nadhari would be the next girl gone if Katara had anything to say about it, and frankly, she did.

She found Eva in the girls' bathrooms, Zuko hovering by the door and Eva's handmaid frantically trying to wash the mess out of her hair.

"It's no use!" Eva sobbed. "It's not coming out, is it?"

"Lady Eva, whatever this is, it's hardened…" Her handmaid sounded frazzled as she ran Eva's hair under the water and scrubbed it with a bar of soap. "I don't know if there's much else to do but cut away where it's stuck, because your hair is frankly covered in it."

"Tui and La!" Eva grabbed her hair. "You can't."

"Eva." Katara knelt by her. "I'm not sure there's much else they can do to get it out." She tried to say it as gently as possible. However, she understood. Just as long hair was significant in the Fire Nation, it was extremely important in the Water Tribes. Men grew their hair out so they could wear their wolf tails. Women braided their hair with thousands of beads to represent community and other sacred traditions. Having short hair, especially as a woman, was frowned upon. Usually, there was a certain age in which girls stopped cutting their hair, other than trims, altogether. To lose her hair was to lose a part of her culture.

Zuko looked completely lost behind them, as though trying to decide if he should talk to Katara, console Eva, or go chew out Nadhari first and just couldn't make up his mind. Katara decided to make it easy for him.

Katara stepped out of the bathroom and turned to Zuko. "Zuko, why don't you plan on a really nice date between the two of you?" Katara said quietly. "I'll help Eva cut her hair. And then tonight, we need to talk about something."

"I'm not sure I like that tone," Zuko said. "But you're right, about Eva. Will she be okay?"

"Just...tell her how beautiful she is afterwards. If you see Yue, let her know what happened, she'll be worried." Katara offered helpfully.

Once Zuko was gone, Katara and Eva's handmaid used silver scissors to carefully cut away the hair that was ruined in Nadhari's tricks. In the end, it needed to be cut very short, shorter than most girls would have liked their hair, hanging no longer than the end of her chin. Eva looked at herself in the mirror, still sniffling. She touched the strands of hair like she was touching a stranger's, her whole face contorting in anger and utter sadness.

"Hey, it's not so bad. It will take less time to wash," Katara pointed out.

"Yeah, but…" Eva whispered, feeling small and tiny. She was retreating back into her shell, an injustice Nadhari had also caused that Katara was angry about.

"We can curl it, just a bit and it will be lovely," her handmaid insisted. "Add some makeup and it will be like no one else is in the competition, hmm?"

"I guess." Eva still seemed utterly destroyed.

Katara left before Zuko came back to fetch her for a nice birthday dinner, and she hoped that would help. Her heart ached for her friend.

She saw that Zuko had instructed Nadhari to remain in the ladies' room the rest of the night, 'mistake' or not. At least, that was something.

"Pack your bags, because you'll be gone by tomorrow," Katara muttered under her breath. She couldn't wait until Nadhari's presence was gone.

THEPRINCESCHOICE

"Nadhari's a menace, and you need to cut her from the competition immediately!"

Zuko hadn't even pulled himself completely through the hole in the ground of the storage shed before Katara was ranting.

"Kat-"

"I mean, how could anyone buy that today? Oh, I'm so sorry, I went completely blind for a second and somehow managed to get Agni knows what all over Eva's hair, which I wasn't anywhere near! And I believed her when she said she was trying to be better. I believed her!" Katara paced, absolutely livid.

"Katara-"

"She's been a snake this entire competition, and I'm just too nice of a person! Ugg, she just couldn't help herself! Well, it's all going to be okay when you send her sorry ass straight home!"

"Katara!" Zuko grabbed Katara's shoulders, stopping her. "Breathe, breathe," he encouraged. Katara shoved him off.

"No! Not until you tell me you're sending her home!" Katara stomped her foot. "You asked me a long time ago to be the judge of the girls. Here I am. Judging." She crossed her arms. Zuko frowned deeply, inhaling hard. "Please, tell me that you just came from telling her the good news?" Katara finished, looking at Zuko and refusing to ease her heaving breaths.

"I can't."

"Well fine, we can wake her right now. I don't care about beauty sleep or whatever. She deserves to be humiliated."

Zuko sent a hard look her way. "Katara." He gave a heaving sigh.

"Fine, not humiliated," Katara amended sourly, "But I'm dead serious about waking her now."

"I can't send her home," Zuko said, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"Why not? She sabotaged Eva! That's against the rules! You know it!"

"Well, if she was trying to do that it failed, since I spent the whole rest of the night with Eva, and I enjoyed it, to be honest. I hadn't ever really looked at Eva until tonight, but I can see why you like her. She's a lovely girl."

"Well, the night of the ball, the one we kissed right here?" Katara pointed at the ground. "Nadhari was so jealous of my dress that she threatened me, locked me in a closet, and tried to get me to switch! When I wouldn't, she ripped a handful of beads off! I should have told you right then, Zuko, right then because-"

"I'm not defending her." Zuko's voice had taken an acidic tone. "I pegged her toxic personality the moment she walked through the gates of the palace. I've lived with Azula for eighteen years...you think I wouldn't see it reflected in others?"

For a second, Katara lost her steam, staring at Zuko with a hanging jaw.

"Then why?" Katara finally managed, her mind running a thousand miles. "Why in the name of the Great Spirits is she still here?" Katara's tone had returned to the shrill hiss-whisper it had begun at.

"Because it's not so simple!" Zuko snapped back. "Because my father says she can't go."

"Since when does your father have a say in this?" Katara waved her hands. "It's your Choice! If he had a hand in it, I'd have left a long time ago!"

"It's not that simple!" Zuko repeated again. "He...I…"

"Send her home! Really, what is your dad going to do? He can't force you to pick a bride any more than Azula can scare off girls. In the end, it's up to you, so please enlighten me as to why this monster of a girl is still here," Katara bit out.

"Because of you!" Zuko finally exploded.

"Me?" Katara asked, taking a dangerous step toward him. "Oh, no, you're blaming me for her being here? How does that even work?"

"Not blaming." Zuko flopped on a bag of potatoes. "Saying. Just…if you can let me talk for one second," he added somewhat bitterly, glaring up at her, "I'll explain."

Katara, tempted to speak but wanting to prove him wrong, gave an angry wave of her hands in an ' _I'm waiting_ ' motion.

"Nadhari, her being here, that's...out of my hands." Zuko wrung them together, nervously.

"She's here for you, Zuko," Katara couldn't help but add blithely. "By the very definition, she is in your hands."

"Katara, please." Zuko pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. Katara bit her lip to keep from saying something else snarky and let him talk.

"I wanted to cut her not long after the Choice had begun. I thought, well, I thought I was wrong. She seemed kind one-on-one, but it wasn't long until I saw the same tricks Azula pulled when she wants something. So, I made the mistake of mentioning it to my father. He convinced me to have her stay 'just a little longer', just until the first papers were out, you know, so that she could be featured. Fine. After that, I wanted her gone. My father got wind of it and he gave me a choice...if Nadhari goes, you do too." His gaze met Katara's.

"Well, that's just stupid," Katara snorted. "He's tried to get me to leave before and it hasn't worked." At Zuko's darkened expression, she realized he didn't know that.

"We'll pick that up later," Zuko said. "But, Katara...you don't know what my father is capable of. If you think Nadhari is a monster, you have no idea what you're dealing with when it comes to him. He would do anything, to even his family, to get his way," Zuko said, completely serious and grim-toned.

"I think I do-"

"You don't. He said that if I cut Nadhari and you remained, that he knew who was important to your family and where you lived. He threatened you, too, saying that as safe as the palace was, there's always a chance of a slip up here or there...Katara, I just couldn't take that chance!" Zuko said.

Katara tried to swallow but she just couldn't. Her throat caught, hearing Ozai's vague threats elaborated on. "So, what? He keeps this up until you marry her? Just one more cutting, he keeps saying?" Katara asked logically.

"No. I think he knows she'd be a shit Fire Lady too, if we're speaking honestly." He almost had a wry grin on his face. "Just the top five. She just has to stick around until then. The top five always get very advantageous marriage offers. I think it's some deal he made with her father, but I just can't figure it out." Zuko frowned hard. "So, she stays. I get it, I know who she is. But, I'd rather put up with Nadhari until I can send her away if it means keeping you safe."

"And everyone else suffers because of me?" Katara asked in a small voice.

"I'll do more to cut her power, fewer dates with her," Zuko said with absolute sincerity. "She might get to be here in the competition, but only barely and not with anything fun. My father never said how I had to treat her," he said, a glimmer that was positively devious in his eye. It reminded Katara too much of Ozai and she did not like it, or she wouldn't, had the situation been different.

"It's not perfect. I hadn't thought that Nadhari would be so...open today. She had seemed better," Zuko said softly.

"I hate this," Katara said out loud to the darkness. She was realizing with a growing horror that if Ozai was pulling the strings on this, there could be so much more he had dipped his fingers in that neither of them had any idea about.

"I do too." Zuko's fingers found Katara. And, oh, if only a toxic girl like Nadhari was their only worry. But alas, the world would come to remind them that there were things brewing out there that were bigger than silly girls in an even more superfluous competition.

THEPRINCE'SCHOICE

The next morning, Katara's family left. They stayed longer than she could have hoped for, but she was disappointed all the same. If the world could stop spinning around them and they could all just exist within the palace with no issues afoot, Katara would have been happy.

Two weeks away from their tribe was a long time to be absent, and the days that they could be away had begun to tick down from the second they stepped off the boat. Katara, while deeply saddened to see them go, was pleased with the time she spent with all of them. She would take walks with her father in the evening, Bato would spar with her if she ever caught him in a free moment, and GranGran had always been an open ear to talk to, even if Katara just blabbered about how cool one of the tapestries in the second hall of the east wing was. And Sokka? Well, they were closer than ever. She never realized how much she appreciated her brother until he wasn't around. Sure, he still annoyed her, like all brothers did, but it seemed even on his part he was making more of an effort to enjoy his time with his sister, since that too was fleeting.

Katara missed her mom, but she had hope that she'd return home soon, even if it was only to visit. She looked forward to feeling the cool winds of the tundra once again.

There was the discussion of who to leave as the mouthpiece of their tribe for trade agreement negotiations. For a long time, Katara was sure it would be Bato, as much as she wanted it to be Sokka. Bato was a logical choice; he was old enough to have seen a lot of the world, he knew their traditions well, and he was a third of the tribe's leadership, which meant his word was law.

Somehow, in the night before they left, their minds miraculously changed and Sokka was named the official envoy. Sokka was overjoyed, although he admitted to Katara that he thought he was chosen because he didn't have much to do in the South, and ' _someone has to watch your ass_ '. Usually, Katara would have cuffed his ear for a comment like that, but when she heard the news, she just hugged him hard.

"Did you not hear me right? I'm saying, not going, Katara," Sokka said, trying to disentangle her.

"I'm just glad," Katara said honestly. For a second, Sokka's teasing dropped.

"I am too."

As soon as the Northerners heard that the Southern Water Tribe was leaving their future chief in charge of the delegations, their envoy was switched, too. Katara was annoyed that she'd have to spend even more time around Hahn and Arrluk, who just looked terrified at the prospect of being left virtually alone in the Fire Nation. Yue didn't seem all too pleased, either. Katara was frankly tired of the whole 'my fishing boat is bigger than your fishing boat' game that Chief Arnook played with her tribe, when in reality, she doubted her family was even trying to be contenders.

But, it was set. The young boys of the Water Tribes would lead their groups' trade agreement. And, if it meant having Sokka around, Katara would really restrain herself and try not to murder Hahn in his sleep.

The morning of her family's departure, Katara was halfway to a nervous wreck. Perhaps it was a small miracle that Zuko hadn't told her about her family coming the first time, because if this was how she reacted when they were leaving...she shuddered about how strung up she'd have been before.

In particular, she had one minor panic attack that morning because she couldn't find the dress she wanted to wear to see them off, one of her mother's hand-me-downs. After searching her room, she recalled that the last time she wore it, it snagged and a line of beading was torn off. Aiga was supposed to fix it, but Katara hadn't seen it since the last time she had an occasion to wear it.

She remembered the directions to Aiga's room easily enough. When she arrived, she knocked twice.

"Aiga? It's me, uh, Katara," she said, wincing. Well, of course Aiga could tell who it was by the sound of her voice!

There was shuffling coming from inside Aiga's room, which Katara admittedly had never seen.

"I'm here for that dress? The white and brown one with the seal tooth beading?" Katara rolled on the balls of her feet, pausing. "So, I'm sorta supposed to see my dad off soon, he's leaving today, remember, so-" Katara opened the door. In hindsight, she should have recalled the mad scramble herself and Zuko were doing only a couple days earlier, but honestly, Katara's mind was anywhere but on logical things.

When she opened the door, she only caught a glimpse of the action, but she managed to see the aftermath: Aiga, frantically tugging up her buttons on her dress, her face blazing scarlet and her beau - the guardsman - covering the front of his pants.

"Oh, spirits," Katara said, turning around quickly. "I am so, so sorry!" She couldn't believe what she just walked in on!

"Princess Katara, you can turn around," Aiga said after a moment, rather breathless.

"I guess it was about time I caught you red-handed," Katara said, trying to inject a moment of humor. She was pleased to see Aiga smile softly, but still nervously. From her expression, Katara was completely sure that she was not supposed to be entertaining her boyfriend, or any boy that is, during this hour. It was nice to see Aiga, well, a little human. A little more like the rest of them, Katara decided.

"Princess." The guardsman bowed low. "I don't think we've ever been introduced. I'm Tahoe, and I am terribly sorry that you saw that."

"Stand, it's fine," Katara said. "It's nice to meet you too. I won't tell anyone, obviously." From the relief on Tahoe's face, perhaps it wasn't so obvious. Aiga seemed to breathe a little easier too.

"Yes, so…" Aiga fidgeted with her hem of her dress. It was often easy to forget that Aiga was barely older than Katara, and just as innocent and young sometimes.

"Yep. I'd say that your room is up to code. I'll just…" Tahoe slid out of the room, probably very glad he had a helmet to cover his reddening face.

"Oh, gosh." Aiga put her head in her hands. "I'm glad it was you. If anyone else saw-"

"No one else did. Your secret is safe with me." Katara threw her a friendly smile. "But, anyway? That dress?"

"Oh! Of course. Here." Aiga reached around and grabbed it from her closet. "All new! Do you want help with your makeup?" While Katara could do most of her makeup herself after months of living here, she still smiled.

"I would like that."

THEPRINCE'SCHOICE

When her family left, Katara did her best not to cry. Aiga had warned that her none of the makeup was waterproof, and that was a good incentive to not let tears stream down her face as she said goodbye to her father, uncle, and grandmother. She reminisced upon the fact that she'd never gotten to say goodbye a first time, which made this that much harder. Yue's family was polite and refined when they said goodbye, whereas Bato practically put Katara in a headlock.

GranGran told Katara to not let Pakku bully her, because she had stories upon stories that would knock him down a few pegs. Katara wasn't sure if she'd ever spoken to her former fiancé while she was at the palace, but maybe that was something just for her grandmother to know, and Katara didn't want to ask. It all seemed so personal, so vivid and raw. The look on Pakku's face had been...indescribable.

And then her father? Oh, her father.

The way he held Katara nearly broke her, pulling her in terribly close like she was a child again, dwarfing her body, his hands as large as her face. He managed to pull Sokka into the moment too, so that both of his children were in his arms for a moment once again.

"You two take care of each other, you hear?" he said firmly. "We are Southern Water Tribe and nothing is more important than you two, than protecting each other. Be the siblings I know you can be."

"I promise," Katara agreed solemnly. Sokka likely had a witty retort, but instead he just nodded, wrapping his arm around Katara as a covenant to his father. The trio stood and swayed a moment longer than most would find acceptable in fancy, high-class situations, but Katara would stay here forever if she could. When her father retreated, she already missed the smell of firewood that clung to him and the warmth of his smile.

"You could also bow out, go home," Sokka said, noting her face.

"And leave you alone here? Not a chance," Katara said, burrowing herself into his side. For once, her older brother did not push her away.

THEPRINCESCHOICE

Katara woke in the middle of the night with a start. For a second, she was terribly confused, groggily sitting up and blinking away the sand from her eyes.

That is, until, she felt someone shaking her hard.

"Katara, get up!" The voice sharpened with frantic worry, and as Katara awoke more, she saw Sokka's face in front of her.

"What?" she asked, squinting in the dim light.

"Katara, c'mon, throw something on. We need go to. Now." Sokka said firmly, and when he stepped back into the sliver of moonlight that was thrown across her floor, Katara saw fear like she had never seen before reflected in his gaze.

The first sense that hit her was the smell. She smelled fire. Not the fire that the palace usually smelled like, the burning incense and the underlying scent of wood burning in basins when she got near the Royal Family's palace, but this was the smell of things burning that should not have been burning. The second sense to come to her was hearing. What Katara heard, the screaming, the yelling, the sounds whose meanings she didn't even want to think about, could only be summed up in a singular word… _chaos_.

Fully awake now, she jumped from her bed.

"Equalists?" she asked, throwing open her wardrobe to pull on a pair of fabric pants and a long sleeved shirt.

"Who else?" Sokka was bouncing like a rabbit. "C'mon!"

In the halls of the ladies' area, it was bedlam. Guards were yelling and pointing, and the girls were coming out of their rooms in hoards, most of them with tears trekking down their cheeks and their bodies shivering. Katara could hear the guards telling them to go to one of the meeting rooms in the palace, where they could be protected. Bodies pushed around Katara on the outside halls as people fled in all directions.

"Sokka! Katara!" A plaintive voice broke through the noise.

"Toph?" Sokka whipped around, shoving through people to drag her close to the pair of siblings. "Oh, Agni, I went to your room and you weren't there and-"

"I heard it first," Toph grimaced. "I'm fine, see?"

"Toph, thank spirits." Katara was never gladder to see a friend.

"Well, let's not stand around! Let's go!" Sokka said, grabbing Katara's hand and dragging her in the opposite direction of where the rest of the ladies were being sent.

"What are you doing?" Katara asked, wrenching herself from his grip.

"We're going somewhere even safer to wait this attack out, duh," Sokka said, reaching for her arms again.

"What? No! I can fight! I can help!" Katara said, her mind flashing to Zuko. To Lu Ten. To all of the rest of her friends who were likely terrified right now.

"Like hell you are!" Sokka snarled. "You're not dying for some Fire Nation royals, no matter how much you like them!" he said firmly. "You're going with me!"

"I am not," Katara uncorked her water skin, stalking the opposite direction, hellbent on finding some Equalists to give them a piece of her mind.

"Oh, shit, it's the full moon," Sokka realized with horror.

"What's that mean?" Katara heard Toph asked behind her as she began shoving her way toward the Royal Family's area.

"It means she's more boneheaded and dangerously optimistic than usual. Her bending is also at full strength, but she's impossible to reason with!" Sokka groaned. The next thing Katara knew, Sokka had grabbed her by the waist and was tugging her away like a child. Katara kicked her legs out frantically, clawing at Sokka.

"Let me go! These guys are no joke! They could kill people! I'm a fighter, Sokka!" she cried, struggling against him.

"Katara," Sokka gave a long, tired sigh. "You'll thank me for this later."

Before Katara could ask Sokka what the hell he meant, her world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT A F'IN CLIFFHANGING, HUH?
> 
> OMG GUYS ONLY ONE CHAPTER LEFT OF THE FIRST BOOK! ARE YOU PUMPED? CUZ I AM!
> 
> We have a couple more drabbles that have been earned: Aaliyah92 and Teirnank! So, if you guys want a drabble, go to my profile and read how to get one and send me a PM :)
> 
> I realize that there was quite a bit of describing of dresses or hair during this chapter, so if you go to my tumblr (youngbloodlex22) I have uploaded a post with pictures of how I imagined it!
> 
> I threw in Tahoe because I realized for as much as Aiga has talked about her bf he was never actually named...? My bad, totally thought I'd done that before...
> 
> In other news, I watched 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before' and I am shooketh. I'm just in love. Covinksy is the softest ship ever and I must protect it with my life. I then went and wrote a one-shot of the movie from Peter's POV called 'Lasts a Lifetime' that is posted, so go check that out if y'all are as obsessed as this movie as I am XD


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we are here. And, for now, that's all I'm going to say. So, read on, my dear ones, as we wrap up book one of A Delicate Subterfuge Series!

When Katara woke up, with a splitting headache, she was being carried over someone's shoulder.

"Sokka?" she asked, seeing his distinctive garb. "Put me down! You knocked me out? You asshole!" she screamed, wriggling until Sokka finally set her down. She took a step forward before stumbling, and her brother helped her up. Saltily, she snatched her arm away, sending the traitor a murderous glare.

A moment later, she realized she had no idea where she was.

"Underground bunkers." Toph must have felt her confusion. "Far away from that bullshit up there."

"That's where both of us should be, Toph!" Katara spun. "I cannot believe that you'd run and hide!"

"Katara, listen. What did you do the last time these guys attacked? You went and fought and risked your own life." Sokka grasped Katara's arm hard, a angry undercut to his words. "Did you ever think that a raid like this would be a perfect time for Lord Ozai to kill you and have it look like an accident? That this might all be a set up? That you running in there is exactly what he might want?"

Katara quieted, frowning. Sokka only gave a sigh of relief at her silence.

"Besides," Toph spoke up, "We have something more important to protect down here."

It was in that moment that Katara realized that they were no longer alone. Along the cavern's side wall sat Shoji, Aang, Aiga, and Ty Lee. In an instant, Katara realized who Toph was talking about.

"Aiga, thank Agni," Katara whispered, seeing her handmaid.

"I saw Sokka carrying you over his shoulder and I was so worried." Her handmaid linked her fingers with Katara's. "Thank spirits you're okay!"

"That's yet to be seen." Katara rubbed the back of her head. "Ty Lee?" she asked with question.

"Saw us ushering Kuzon down here. Followed us and I sealed up the door behind us. She's sort of stuck with us for the moment." Toph shrugged.

"I asked if he should maybe be with the Royal Family, but Toph is strangely persistent…" Ty Lee's forehead was creased in confusion.

"We should keep moving," Toph interrupted her. "The bunker itself is close. I can feel it. We'll be safe there until this passes."

Worry unlike anything Katara had ever felt plagued her as they went deeper into the caverns. It was mostly for Zuko, although her thoughts were with the other girls too. She could feel the itch of the full moon underneath her skin, wanting her to use her bending. Alas, she knew that keeping the Avatar safe was their number one priority, so she frustratingly shoved it back down. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could knock the heads of an Equalist or two later on, when most of the action was done. She terribly wanted to be up on the surface, but she also agreed with Sokka's point, which she hadn't even considered; she once told herself she'd been too lax about her safety at the palace, and she had slipped up again. This absolutely would have been the time for something terrible to befall her 'by accident', or with a very convenient villain to blame.

The group moved swiftly through the passage. Aiga hadn't let go of Katara's fingers since she had found her, her whole body shivering like a leaf.

"Worried about Tahoe?" Katara guessed softly, so no one else heard.

"I keep imagining him dead," Aiga admitted. "But you shouldn't worry about the Prince in that way. Likely, no action will ever reach him." Even in her darkest hour, she was trying to comfort Katara.

"He's a good firebender though, and his Uncle is legendary. I'd think they'd be on the frontline," Katara frowned.

"Perhaps." Aiga didn't sound confident. "However, it is the rule of the guards to lay down their lives for the family. Even if they are masters of fighting, they are the most important people to keep safe," Aiga recited. "I wouldn't doubt they're in their own safe room, perfectly fine," she assured.

"Aiga...you're allowed to be afraid. No one will judge," Katara said.

"I keep imaging Tahoe dead." Aiga's voice trailed off a bit. "It's just better to think of other things."

Behind them came Shoji and Aang, with Ty Lee following at a safe distance. Katara was frankly shocked she was without Mai, however Toph added on that Mai had been out of her room when all the fighting began, and that Ty Lee could not find Mai in her room when the commotion started. This caused her to tack onto Aang, for Katara was sure that had her worry gotten the better of her, she might be out there fighting. She was, Katara knew, a decent warrior. Behind those three were Toph and her brother, whispering in low voices. Katara still saw the stiffness in her brother's shoulders, the worry that pulled his features taut like a bow.

"We're here," Toph said abruptly.

"Uh, Toph," Sokka coughed, "There's nothing here."

"What? Of course there is. Right behind that wall!" Toph pointed to a totally solid wall of earth.

Sokka stepped forward, sticking his knife into the wall and taping it lightly, his ears to the soil. After a moment, he stood back, frowning.

"Toph's right, you guys. There's a room behind this wall, though they've done a great job of trying to hide it. I doubt it's what we're looking for, but it seems interesting to me."

"We're safe down here no matter what," Aiga added. "These tunnels are a maze, and without intense knowledge, or, err Lady Bei Fong, I doubt many would be able to figure it out."

"Should we look behind the suspicious hidden wall, then?" Sokka asked.

Toph stepped forward, cracking her knuckles. "Do you even need to ask, Wolfie?" she asked. She slammed her foot onto the ground and the earth slid down, revealing a large room. Shoji flicked his hands, creating a ball of fire in his palms, and lit a lantern on the wall. Like magic, a line of lanterns all down the long, hidden hall sprung to life.

"What in the world…" Sokka murmured, the group standing in shock at the threshold.

"Something that someone tried very hard to burry," Toph replied.

She was the first one to step over the line. As soon as she did, everyone followed.

"Guys?" Toph asked quietly, "Is this what I think it is?"

She was stopped in front of a massive skull, something that looked comically large in comparison to her. From the bone structure, it was something Katara had only seen in picture books. Tentatively, Toph licked it.

"Toph! What the hell?" Sokka threw her away from it.

"That's real bone," Toph said in an awed voice, but it was still the voice of someone near terrified.

"Dragon skulls," Aang clarified, though it didn't need to be said. As far down as Katara could see, the hall was lined with the remnants of dragon skulls. Something deep in Katara's stomach shifted, a sickness that she could not quell. Standing in front of a singular skull, Katara felt so small. And to imagine that someone in the palace - one of Zuko's ancestors - had killed these magnificent beats was nearly too much to bear. It was a rude awakening; this was what the Fire Nation did...they killed and destroyed and took trophies.

"General Iroh was the one who killed the last dragon," Ty Lee added, rubbing her arms. "I never imagined...you can almost feel their fear," she whispered in absolute horror. Katara didn't know how anyone could feel fear, but her words still sent a shiver down her back. Standing in the graveyard of these giants, she felt small and very, very mortal. Very killable.

"There's more at the end of this hall," Toph was frowning, her feet shifting over the ground. "A storeroom of objects...I think? It's hard to tell."

"I don't know if I can take another step." Aang looked ill at the sight of the dragons. "If just…" He placed a palm on one of the skulls, swallowing hard. It wasn't unimaginable to think maybe he knew one of these dragons, in his life or a past avatar's life.

"Well, I doubt many would follow us through these," Toph said, already going forward. "Come on!" Her voice echoed two or three times in the impossibly large cavern. Sokka followed without question. Katara and Aiga shared looks before joining.

"Come on Kuzon, nothing can be worse than this," Katara head Ty Lee offer quietly to her friend. "And you shouldn't be left alone." That in itself made Aang and Shoji follow the rest of the group.

"We might have hit worse," Sokka winced, "If, that is, these what I think they are."

"The tombs of the past Fire Lords and Ladies!" Aiga gasped, immediately dropping into a low bow in front of the multitude of long, shiny, black coffins that were mounted against the walls. Shoji and Ty Lee were right behind her, with Aang bowing a belated second later, just to keep his cover. It left the Water Tribe siblings and Toph just staring at the dusty baskets with mild disgust. Of course, in the Water Tribe, the dead were washed out to sea, since they couldn't bury someone in something that wasn't actually ground. They allowed scavengers to eat the bodies so that they could one day kill the predators as their own meals, the whole circle of life. The idea of keeping a space to bury bodies was just bizarre to them.

"Yuck," Toph winced. "But, that's not all that's here. I still feel something else-"

"A little respect for the fallen leaders!" Aiga squawked. "I can't believe I'm seeing this with my own eyes! I heard about this catacomb all my life. The Fire Sages used to tend to it, but they closed it up...they only open it to put a new body in, but no one is allowed in here. Maybe we shouldn't be here, either. There are more bunkers elsewhere…" Aiga nervously played with her garment hems.

"Nonsense. The best things should be hidden in here, if that's true." Toph had a wild, crazy gleam to her eyes. "You'll have to kill me to get me to walk away from this!"

"Aren't you a little curious?" Sokka asked. "If not, fine...I'll explore with Toph. You guys can sit here next to the dead bodies of dragons and creepy dictators."

This seemed to encourage the group to keep moving, all the way to a small, stained metal door with just about a thousand hinges.

Sokka immediately went to work. "Maybe, if we get a fire bender, I think I put pressure right on this lock, then I can-"

Toph slammed her feet and shifted them, opening up a secondary doorway in the wall, right next to the locked door.

"Or that!" Aang grinned. "Awesome, Toph."

Toph was the first one inside. "Someone has to come in here and tell me what I'm looking at!" she said, goading someone to follow.

"Well, it's a storeroom. Lots of papers and stuff all over. Uhh, relics too, I think. It's just an old storage room thing. It's dusty as all hell," Sokka said, scratching his head. Shoji went around the room and lit the candles.

There was a quiet moment in which no one moved, no one dared, as if they would wake the bones of the leaders outside of them, or trip some wire somewhere. Even Toph paused, as though feeling the weight that this room held, even in spirit. Katara hadn't touched a single thing and already she was getting dark, uncomfortable feelings about this place.

"Well...are we just going to sit here the whole time?" Toph asked, but still didn't move. "Secrets, people, let's get 'em secrets." However, her voice sounded strained, and Katara detected a smidge of fear, though she'd never admit it.

"Uhh, yeah. I guess...we start reading and looking and tell the group when we find something cool?" Aang shrugged.

"We need to put everything back where it came from! Oh, the trouble we could get into…" Aiga bit her nails.

"Oh, c'mon. We could blame it on the Equalists and no one would be the wiser." Toph had regained her courage. "Ohh, Wolfie, read me this one! Feels interesting!" Toph had picked up a scroll that was heavily decorated and was rubbing it against her cheek.

Katara started to wander. The first thing she found was a large array of waterbending scrolls, scrolls she knew should belong to her people, but she was sure were gotten by less than honest means. A spark of anger fired through her, and she was extremely tempted to take them back. Even if Royal Family had bought them, how selfish to pile them up here, where no waterbender would ever get to read them?

There was a silent period of about two hours in which the only thing that could be heard was the shifting of parchment as people read ravenously. Even Aiga seemed to have gotten over her fear, though when Katara saw her, it seemed she was just reading a census report. But Katara wouldn't put it past Zuko's seedy ancestors to slip something secret in the middle of it. Toph, every so often, would tilt her head and dig her feet into the dirt, but would respond that the chaos upstairs was still going on. The fact it was taking so long to fight the Equalists terrified Katara. Each moment filled her with more dread and more regret that she couldn't be up there fighting.

"What are you reading, Ty Lee?" Katara heard Aang ask softly.

"I found a set of scrolls detailing Sozin's life," Ty Lee responded and a couple people perked up. "Did you know he was best friends with Avatar Roku?" She was looking at a tiny statue of Avatar Roku, sitting on the shelf near the other things.

Katara tried to look anywhere but Aang's face. Toph tried to look at him, but was just looking past him, so it was all okay.

"Erm, yeah, I did." Aang blinked, as though surprised that he knew it. Katara wasn't sure how it worked, but she had heard that Avatars had access to their past lives' memories. Did it only happen when something came up?

"Really? Even I didn't know that!" Aiga said. Aang blushed red.

"I think I heard it somewhere. I dunno, maybe I'm making it up." Aang tried to backtrack.

"You might have." Ty Lee didn't lose her usual smile. "It's a sad story, though." Everyone gathered, pausing their readings to hear her synopsis of what she'd read.

"He and Roku were best friends, but on Roku's sixteenth birthday, he was told that he was the Avatar and that he had to leave Sozin to become what he needed to be. Even though he couldn't bring anything with him, Sozin valued his friendship so much that he gave him a royal hair piece. They sorta fell out of touch for a while, and Sozin took the throne at 24. Which is like, crazy. I mean, people talk about how Zuko is so young compared to when Ozai took over, but Sozin did so much and he was pretty much Zuko's age. Anyway, when Roku returned for Sozin's wedding - and he was even the best man - Sozin told him all about the great plans he had for the Fire Nation. He pointed out how the other nations were struggling and Fire Nation, in its position of power, should help and unite them all. Roku didn't like that at all, and he refused to see reason. Sozin asked Roku just to think about it, but he wouldn't. Later, after Sozin set up the first helpful settlement in the Earth Kingdom – that village would have died without him - Roku was furious. Their fight ended with an Agni Kai, and it's what destroyed the original palace here. Sozin spared his life, because of friendship, which is an awfully big deal since he was the Fire Lord and his only concern should have been the Fire Nation. It's nice, though, to think about that. It talks about how after Roku died, Sozin was distraught and had to follow through with his plans anyway, knowing well that Roku would want him to-"

"No!" The outburst came from Aang. "That's not how it happened at all!" He was on his feet, furious. "Roku had knowledge from becoming the Avatar and he knew that the nations were fine without Fire Nation! There were always meant to be four nations, just like the four elements! Roku tried to tell Sozin, but he wouldn't listen! He was my best friend, but I saw him sink deeper and deeper into becoming a mad-power hungry king, obsessed with brightening his own name. I retired to an island to live out the rest of my life, but a volcanic eruption exploded. Sozin saw, and he came to help me because of our old friendship, but we could not stop the lava. I was overwhelmed by poisonous gases and begged Sozin to grab him out of the gasses, but he left me there, to die, so he could further his plans and bring terrible horrors upon the nations!"

There was a stunned silence.

"You switched tenses there, Kuzon," Katara said, warningly. Aang scratched his head, looking even more confused and a little lightheaded.

"I did?"

"Yeah, you talked as though you actually knew Sozin," Sokka snorted.

"I guess I just got wound up. It's awful to hear," Aang covered.

"How do you know that? Where did you learn that?" Shoji rubbed his chin. Ty Lee was just frowning at Aang.

"If what you say is true…" Ty Lee looked green. "Oh, I can't imagine!" She dropped the scroll, kicking it away from her in horror and disgust. Katara was a little surprised that she believed Aang so quickly, especially being so close to the Royal Family.

"What were you reading, Aiga?" Katara asked, trying to slide the conversation away from Aang. As soon as everyone's attention was on Aiga, Katara narrowed her eyes at Aang. He sent her back an 'I-didn't-know-what-came-over-me' sort of perplexed look, and she wondered if Roku was truly speaking through Aang in that moment.

"The census reports! These go back as far as when Sozin first became Fire Lord. I'm not sure if what you claim is true, Kuzon, but certain Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom cities really boomed after he took power, so maybe he couldn't have been all bad? I mean, the sheer numbers that these towns-"

"Booooring!" Toph snorted. "Whattabout you, Sugar Queen? Anything good?"

"I found some waterbending scrolls. I'm just trying to memorize them. Maybe Zuko can come back down here, but if not, I'd be upset if I didn't get a chance to try a few forms up there. What did you and my brother find?"

"Old battle schematics. I doubt all of these were put to use, but it's interesting to see," Sokka replied. Now that Katara looked at Sokka, she noticed that there were hundreds of scrolls with maps and lines laid out like a halo around him.

"I found some really cool old Fire Nation gear," Shoji said, digging in a chest. "It's ancient! I'm sort of glad the guards wear lighter stuff now." He held up one like a costume.

"Kuzon?" Katara prompted, since he was still looking at the ground, still deeply worried.

"Huh? Oh, nothing that cool. Just old journals of food, though I'm not sure why that's hidden here," Aang replied. Katara wasn't sure if he was lying or not.

"Really? Food!" Sokka scrambled up. Aang shrugged, handing over the journal. It was small and dusty, covered with dragonhide and had a fancy buckle on it. Much too ostentatious for someone's grocery list, Katara thought, but maybe it was the royal grocery list?

Sokka flipped through it, confused. "Kuzon's right. I mean, it looks good, but something... something feels off to me…" He narrowed his eyes. There were moments in which his tactical side switched over and Katara saw her father in Sokka. This was one of these moments. Sokka held the journal close to one of the fire sconces on the wall, looking through the thin pages, but all Katara saw was tightly packed black ink, faded by time.

Evidently, Sokka saw something she didn't, for he gave a sharp intake. He grabbed the torch, sticking it into the dirt on the ground and began to hold the pages over it, running it back and forth, right over the tip of the fire.

"Careful! That could go up in smoke any second." Ty Lee bit her lip. "What are you doing?"

"It's invisible ink! Heat activated ink underneath this. Oh, man…" Sokka said, his eyes scanning. The excitement of his find slowly slid off his face. Katara didn't know what was wrong yet, but as Katara took in the change in her brother's expression, an ominous shiver raced over her skin, raising the hair on her arms.

"What?" Katara asked nervously, biting the question out. Sokka did not answer. Frantically, he flipped pages, holding the book so close to the torch that Katara was sure he'd burn himself. He did once, wincing and shaking his finger before sticking it in his mouth, but he did not stop flipping with his free hand. As he turned another page, scowling, a packet of powder wrapped in a little clear shield fell from between the pages. Toph picked it up, about to open it.

"Toph! Put that down  _right now_!" Sokka snapped, his voice loud and terrified and demanding. Toph, usually not one to follow orders, must have sensed the horror on his face, or heard or felt something the rest of them didn't, for she dropped the packet and jumped back like she'd been bitten.

Sokka dropped the journal face down and used a stick to carefully move around the bag, which was lying in the dirt. "Did it break? Oh, spirits, it's still all in there, right?" he asked, his voice growing higher-pitched by the second.

"Sokka, mind telling us what the hell is going on?"

Sokka carefully used a handkerchief from a chest of ladies' vintage dresses to pick the bag up. He turned to one of the empty chests piled along the walls of the room and dropped it in, closing the chest and sitting on it. It seemed extreme that a whole chest was needed to contain this little packet, but Sokka sat on it like his life depended on it.

"Guys." Sokka picked up the journal with overly-cautious care. His face was pale and he seemed haunted. He closed the journal with an audible snap, holding the spine in his palms and raising it, shaking it as he spoke. "This is a war journal. Not just about tactics or contingency plans," he swallowed hard, body shaking, "but about an inventor from the Fire Nation and his experiments."

"What sort of experiments?" Shoji asked. Katara felt a darkness overcome her suddenly, one she could not explain.

"Ones I wish I never read. Horrible, inhumane things. They'd...they'd find people in the other nations and...test things on them." There was a shake in Sokka's voice, and Katara couldn't imagine what he'd read in such a short time to make him so.

"What were they testing? What were they trying to do?" Toph asked, the farthest away from the chest where the substance lay at the bottom.

Sokka drew in a breath through his nose. "Annihilate," he said quietly. Then, a pause. "That dust...that powder...it was engineered using hundreds of test subjects. It was designed to wipe out an entire nation without the Fire Nation ever having to lay a finger on anyone." Katara felt a growing dread, bile rising in her throat. "Guys, the Fire Nation wiped out the Air Nomads with that. If that had been opened, and we'd inhaled it, within minutes we'd have suffocated from the inside-out. Our lungs would fill with blood, and our hearts would be thrown into overdrive."

The silence that fell over the group was deafening. Katara had an inkling about what had happened to the Air Nomads, as most did, but hearing this? Oh, spirits above…

Shoji grabbed the journal, reading a couple pages with Ty Lee looking over his shoulder. After just three pages, Shoji stumbled over to a corner and vomited, grabbing his head. Ty Lee shook her head slowly. Toph slumped down on the wall, staring out blankly. Aiga's face was blank, uncomprehending, but she was shivering. And Aang?

Katara spun, suddenly. "Kuzon?" she asked. His whole face was just...nothing. No emotions, nothing at all.

"Let me see that."

"No, that's not a good idea," Katara said, stepping in front of him.

"You don't want to," Sokka agreed. "The horrors these people went through-"

"Let me see it!" Aang lunged, and Katara was too slow. She never realized how tall he was until he was holding the journal above his head to a light and Katara was jumping to reach it. She only caught a sentence or two of what the ink said underneath, but they were phrases she'd never be able to erase from her memory:

_Subject 8821 (Airbender) showed the most hemorrhaging, bleeding from the eyes and ears before dying after 12 minutes._

_Subject 8822 (Airbender), pregnant at the time, was injected into the womb. While one twin died instantly, the other-_

Lines and lines of atrocities tested on Air Nomad subjects, with a handful of Earth Kingdom prisoners sprinkled in, until Katara could only assume that the inventor discovered a substance that could cause the final death of a whole race.

The journal clattered to the ground, the metal of the lock clinking, and for a second, that was the only sound in the room.

And then there was white noise as loud as a storm, coming from all around them, an entire hurricane contained just within the four walls of the storeroom.

Katara, heart thumping frantically like the wings of a hummingbird, snapped around to see Aang's body heaving. He was hunched over, wheezing and making low keening sounds like he was in great pain. The air around him seemed to fizzle, as though the very fabric of this universe was disintegrating around him. Then, he began to light up...under his clothes began to shine.

Aang glowed. His eyes were first, and then underneath his clothes. As a wind that came from nowhere whipped around the room, Katara saw his arrows coming alive with a blinding light. As the wind picked up, it began to create a ball, a vortex of air around Aang, throwing everyone back into the bookshelves, items clattering down around them. Sokka threw himself onto the chest, unwilling to let the lid fly open, knowing what was inside.

Katara was thrown back into a wall, the wind knocked out of her with a gasp. She rolled onto her stomach, shielding her eyes as the room grew brighter and brighter. The statue of Roku, which had rolled next to her, had its eyes alight, too.

Not a good sign.

"What? The hell?" Sokka yelled as the wind whipped around the room. "Is he… _airbending_?"

"No...no...I've seen him firebend!" Shoji argued back. "It...can't be!"

"Arg! Guys, he's the fucking Avatar, and we just told him exactly how his people were murdered!" Toph said, throwing her hands out, ducking as a piece of wood whipped around the cyclone and came her way. Katara would have words with her about this outburst later, but right now, she was sort of fearing for her life.

"This happened once before!" Katara yelled. "Zuko had to knock him out to stop it!"

"Zuko knows?" Sokka asked. "Wait...is he...how is...oh, great."

Katara managed to snag Aiga's hand, dragging her behind a large overturned table. Sokka scooted as close as he dared without letting go of the chest, Toph crawling right next to him. Shoji jumped to the side of the table, nearly knocking it over, panting hard. Katara grabbed the table to slam it back down toward them before it tottered over on its side.

"Well, what now? He could destroy this place, and us, and that bag! The entire palace would die in seconds!" Shoji asked.

"We need to stop it," Aiga squeaked out, looking very overwhelmed.

"Yeah, no duh!" Toph snorted.

"Wait, where's Ty Lee?" Katara realized, horrified. She threw a look over the table to see Ty Lee approaching Aang in his Avatar State. "Ty Lee! Come back over here!"

Ty Lee gave a firm shake of her head, going forward. Aang was floating in the air, a little above the ground. Ty Lee waited until she saw a moment and then, quick on her feet, nimbly somersaulted into the air bubble. Once she was inside, the wind stopped picking up her braids. Three pairs of eyes watched over the table, while Toph just covered her ears, as Ty Lee approached Aang.

"Kuzon…" she said. "It's okay. Well, no, it's not okay, but this is dangerous! Please, come down. I know it hurts We'll...we'll figure it out later. Just please, come back to us." She reached out, touching his shoulder softly. For a second, nothing happened. Katara worried about how they would stop Aang without possibly killing him, and how Ty Lee was going to get out of the air bubble safely.

And then suddenly, the air died down. Aang floated back down toward the earth, the light from his eyes and arrows fading out. He collapsed on the ground, pieces of paper and debris falling with a resounding clatter. Ty Lee guided him down so his head was cradled by her hands.

"I think we're okay…" Katara said after a couple moments, her fingers quivering.

"The Avatar…" Shoji was still in a state of shock.

"Pretty cool. Except for, you know, nearly killing us," Sokka said, grinning.

"Oh, so his powers are cool, and mine are 'creepy magic'?" Katara put her hands on her hips.

"I don't make the rules, sis."

Katara decided to pin that for a later date. "So...uh...yeah. Before this, only me, Zuko, and Toph knew. Zuko's been keeping him safe this whole time. His real name is Aang. I guess I can't force you all, but please, please...do not tell anyone. Aang's life would be in danger if anyone knew."

"Even if I didn't owe you a life debt, I'm Kuzon's friend, and after this day? Yeah, I'm with him," Shoji agreed.

"I will always side with the Avatar," Aiga said with a conviction Katara was surprised to hear.

"Hey, I mean, I told you from the start that Ozai was bad news. Anything against him, yeah, I'm in," Sokka said.

"Ty Lee?" Katara asked. "I know you grew up with the Royal Family, so I know this is hard to hear. You can't tell anyone...not Mai, especially not Azula. If you don't want to actively help us, that's okay, we'd understand…"

"I... Before I might have questioned it. After seeing that journal, reading it…" Ty Lee pursed her lips. "If that's what Sozin was willing to do to random airbenders who he didn't know, imagine what he'd do to the Avatar, the one person who can stand in his way? I don't think this stuff is hidden here out of shame, but for later use." Ty Lee brought up a good point. "Besides, Kuzon...I mean, Aang, he's my friend too. A really good friend." Her voice broke a little. "And his life is in danger. I could never put him in that position, never."

'Then it's agreed," Katara said. "From here on out, we're careful and... I wish I knew what next," she admitted after a moment.

"We have to get rid of the journal and that powder," Sokka said. As the group threw around ideas for its disposal, Toph tilted her head.

"Guys? It's quiet upstairs. I think the raid is done."

THEPRINCESCHOICE

When they padded up to the main level, the halls were quiet. Eerily quiet. Katara could see the scores settled upon the palace: vases shattered into a million pieces on the ground, canvases ripped, embroidery rugs frayed and slashed, the embers of many fires sizzling on the ground.

"Yowch!" Toph squeaked, holding up her foot to show glass deeply embedded in her sole and a couple of embers clinging. "Awe, this place is a minefield," she said scowling as she plucked out the debris.

"Here." Shoji found a pair of shoes, albeit a very large pair. "For your safety."

Toph begrudging slipped into them. "Someone's gunna have to guide me. Without touching the ground, I'm literally blind."

Katara grabbed Toph's hand, pulling her friend in close.

They made their way through the palace. Katara feared they'd be some of the only ones who had hidden themselves away during the chaos, but many people were hesitantly peeking around corners, and eventually they found themselves in a large envoy of people who were just looking around in terror and apprehension.

Aiga motioned, leading them to the inner section of the palace. Katara couldn't have been sure, and she didn't speak up to ask, but she thought maybe they were being led to the training arena. It made sense, it was by far one of the largest areas in the palace, and had a lot of empty space too.

"The contingency plan is to meet here." Aiga noticed Katara's thoughtful face. She supposed this ended her secret training place, but she wasn't sure there was an 'after' to this. She couldn't predict what would happen after this attack.

The arena was already crowded. Katara saw some of the girls from the Choice, huddled in a group in the corner. They looked a little roughed up, but mostly okay. But, then again, this wasn't all of them. As Katara did a mental headcount, and many were missing.

A few were scurrying around, making themselves useful, including Yue and Suki. Hahn and Arrluk were also doling out blankets and bowls of soup. Both had bandages or bleeding scars somewhere on them. Katara did not see Zuko anywhere yet, but then again, she didn't see any of the Royal Family. She tried to quell her fears.

Aiga let out a long sigh of utter relief. Across the way, Tahoe turned around, looking completely fine. Katara patted Aiga's shoulder, smiling in joy.

"Oh, thank Agni!" Zhi looked tired, weary. She utterly shocked Katara by embracing her in a hug. "You're all safe. We assumed the worst. And Master Kuzon too, what a relief. What a relief," she repeated.

"I was getting Kuzon to safety when I found these three. They must have gotten separated from the group. Sokka was coming to find his sister," Shoji explained, bowing to Zhi.

"Where did you end up, my children?"

"Just an empty room," Ty Lee said, casual as ever. "We heard a lot. It was pretty terrifying. I'm just glad they didn't think to look in the store room we were all huddled in." If Katara had doubts about Ty Lee and this monster of a secret they were all bound to keep, she was more sure now. Aang had said nothing, keeping his eyes low, as though waiting to bolt and run for his life at any moment. At Ty Lee's words, he snapped his head up, an indescribable expression painting his features.

"Yes, miracles all around," Zhi agreed. "What providence. Maybe it was a blessing you were not with the large groups." She looked pained. Before Katara could ask what she was talking about, she shook a bit of the heaviness off of her shoulders. "If it's not too much to ask, since you seem okay, could you help? You're of course under no pressure to agree, we've all just gone through a traumatizing event."

"I can help," Katara agreed immediately. The rest agreed, and Toph started to voice her affirmation, until Sokka stopped her.

"Toph's feet are cut up pretty bad. She should sit down," he said, picking up one of her feet to show the underside completely bloodied.

"I can still help!" Toph argued.

"No, you should rest. You can help later today, okay?" Zhi managed to pacify her quickly. Toph grumbled, but agreed.

Katara was set to work with helping to pass out food. Time passed quickly, and she hardly had time to worry about where Zuko was, or if he was still alive, or where the rest of her friends who she didn't see on her many passes around the room were. And spirits, she was tired, but she wasn't going to say anything...not now, not when so many others were worse off.

She was coming back to the kitchens with a bucket of used rice bowls, yawning and rubbing her eyes, after what had seemed like the whole day had passed. At the entrance of the arena, she stopped to adjust her grip, wondering if she could manage to nab a bowl of rice next, since she hadn't eaten.

"Katara?"

She looked up to see Zuko standing in the halls with a group of Fire Nation guards, looking mostly fine. He had a bandage peeking out under his robes, and there was soot all over his face, but he was alive. Katara stood, unable to breathe, relief just rushing through her like the sweetest ambrosia.

Zuko took two large strides, pulling her in close. Her bucket dropped to the ground in her surprise, catching the attention of everyone as it echoed around the empty room. Zuko either did not notice, or more likely, did not care. He grabbed her and kissed her hard, his whole body shaking. He murmured quiet prayers of thanks upon her lips, his grip tight on her tunic as though he would never let her go again. He kissed her twice, a third time, like the passing touches could never be enough. Katara stood in surprise for a moment, before melting into it, letting her own joy override her instincts to stop him, because until she saw him, she hadn't realized how hard it would be to lose him.

He drew back, but didn't release her. He just tugged her closer to him, so her head fit snugly under his chin, kissing her crown.

"I was terrified, Katara," he choked out. "I didn't see you, and Zhi said you were missing, and I hoped, but I couldn't know. I imagined your death every possible way, every bloody mess that I'd come across, I imagined that you'd just be  _gone_."

Katara rubbed the pad of her thumb across his cheek. She felt a soft wetness and realized he had been crying a little. She felt tears prickle at the edges of her eyes too, and she could only manage to give him a watery smile, emotions completely overwhelming her.

"I'm here, I'm fine," she assured, nodding.

"Ohh! How cute!" Ty Lee squealed, coming past them with a secondary bucket of empty bowls. This broke the spell they'd found themselves in, the one in which both forgot everyone around them. Zuko looked over Katara's head and Katara turned to see most of the patrons nodding or scowling. A lot of the girls were grinning like Ty Lee, and most of the rest had a look that said 'well, it was going to happen eventually'. She doubted any would be bowing out of the competition soon – if there even was a competition after this attack – but she was pleased not to see death threats.

"Yes, just so adorable," a secondary voice behind them sneered. Katara turned around to see Azula giving a slow clap. "You are the bleeding heart of the family, Zuko." The rest of the Royal Family was in the corridor, not far behind her. She knew, just looking at them, that they'd seen it all. Ursa had a soft smile on her face, Lu Ten gave Zuko a thumbs up, and Iroh looked equally relieved to see Katara fine. Ozai was bringing up the rear, and while his facial expression was neutral, his eyes burned with hatred and murderous thoughts. When Katara caught his eyes, he tilted his head and smirked, and that in itself - that motionaimed at her - was terrifying despite Katara being unable to explain why.

"Come, now," Ursa said, bringing Zuko under her shawl. "Let's see how everyone else fared." Zuko nodded, his hands unwilling to leave Katara, but he allowed them to slip off her shoulders with an aching slowness.

"If you can leave those bowls there, it would actually be really good if you could help with the healing. The infirmary is packed; we were just there," Zuko asked before he left. "Azula can take those back with Ty Lee," he added with a tone of authority to his voice. To her credit, Azula agreed without question, picking up Katara's load, but the look she sent her brother was one of pure disgust.

"Yeah, yeah," Katara nodded. "Can I, uh, return to my room first? I would like to change," she said, looking down. Her clothes were filthy and frankly, they were still her night clothes.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. A lot of the rooms were sacked, and they're a mess." Zuko paused. "But, if you really wish…"

"I would," Katara nodded twice. Zuko scanned the crowd, catching the eye of Shoji and motioning for him to come over. Aang was scurrying around and helping with tasks, and he'd be safe in a full group of people.

Just as Katara was leaving, Zuko grasped her arm, softly. "We need to talk soon," he murmured. Katara, feeling the weight of the journal that was hidden down her shirt, secured with ribbons to her chest to hide it, nodded faintly. There was so much to discuss, so many pressing issues that she could not control as they were pushed to the side.

Shoji was silent with Katara as they returned to the place that they'd fled early in the morning and yes, Katara could already tell, it was destroyed. In Katara's own room, much of her furniture was just all over. Her wardrobe was overturned. Her drawers were ransacked. Her carpet was stained.

She took in a deep breath, working through the room to find something to wear that was acceptable and not ruined. She found most of her belongings still untouched, which told her that the Equalists might have destroyed just for the sake of destruction, not to steal items. The utter depravity of it bothered Katara. If they had taken her things, she'd be angry, but at least she'd understand it. This was just a group of people who wanted to create chaos, something Katara had never understood.

She gathered her most important items that she could find and wrapped them in a half-destroyed pillowcase. She wasn't sure where she'd be put to sleep next, or where she'd even put these in the meantime, but she didn't want to let them be again. Shoji offered to take them, without speaking, and Katara continued her search for a singular thing: her grandmother's betrothal necklace. She hadn't put it on in her haste last night, but it wasn't with the other items that it had usually been kept with. Dread overcame her, as vivid and striking as a hot poker in her side, as she realized that it was gone now. A longing filled her, a sadness and guilt that she lost such an important family heirloom, something her grandmother kept from Pakku for decades and that her mother had given Katara and told her to keep safe and kept clean. And now, it was gone.

She wished she could go back and snatch it from her drawers last night, before she fled. She wished she was wearing it. She wished maybe she hadn't taken it to the Fire Nation at all.

Sure, it was just a thing, but it was her most valued  _thing_ , and its loss was utterly devastating. She bit her lip to keep it from quivering, sniffling and turning around.

There wasn't much of anything for her left in this room. Shoji gave her a second to change, and then he was escorting her to the infirmary.

THEPRINCESCHOICE

She could see people lying out on cots in the halls as she approached, which should have told her the state of the infirmary. As soon as she entered, clutching her pillowcase full of mementos, the healers gave a sigh of thanks.

"Good, you can help us, are you here for that?" they asked. Katara nodded once. They put her to work immediately. She saw the Healing Master Yugoda around and wondered where Eva was, since Eva was a far better healer than Katara was. However, she didn't have a whole lot of time to question this, since from the moment she walked in - pausing only once to inhale a plate of food - she was working her way into the room by healing the people who spilled out into the corridors. It was grueling work. She was pushing herself as hard as she could, exerting all the energy she could at once. She never gave any of her patients halfof her effort, half of anything. Katara gave herself to helping these people, people who might seem weird or smell like cabbage, but certainly didn't deserve to be felled down by cowardly savages. She was exhausted very quickly, but she did not stop.

If none of the other healers were pausing for a break, Katara would not either. She preferred to be a warrior, but she wasn't going to deny that she could be very helpful in this situation, especially not when Zuko specifically asked her to help.

And, as it turned out, being thrown into a situation and having to adapt quickly and adapt well was a masterful teacher. Katara was sure she had learned more about healing than she would have ever learned from textbooks or practice dummies.

It was dark outside again when Yugoda tapped her shoulder. "We're taking turns sleeping. You've done very well, Princess Katara. A true leader and merit to your tribe."

Katara could truly only think of sleep. She saw that they'd brought in a cot for the healers to rotate on, one of the men from the Fire Nation already having taken a turn.

"What about you?" Katara asked.

"I am more practiced. I know how exhausting it can be, taking on a bit of everyone's wounds and sickness. I may be old, but you will overexert yourself before I do. Please, sleep, Princess Katara," she urged.

Katara stumbled onto the bed and fell asleep within seconds.

When she was woken by the next helper, she felt better, but not completely fixed. However, she still saw a sea of people with ailments and bleeding scars, so she dragged herself out of bed. She saw Yue's distinctive white hair sitting in the corner and hurried over, worried for Yue. Toph was near her. Katara had never thought that they were good friends, but she thought perhaps Toph was here to fix her feet and paused to pay respects to the Northern Princess. When Katara came closer, she saw that it wasn't Yue who Toph was there to visit, but the person laying on the bed was arguably worse.

"Katara," Yue greeted with tiredness. Katara understood why Toph was there, too, as soon as she saw the person in the bed. "I hear you've helped quite a bit."

"Katara?" Eva asked, her voice small as she struggled so sit up. Yue shushed her, gently pushing her back onto the bed.

"Hush, don't use too much energy," she urged. Katara sat, clasping Eva's hand.

"Oh, Eva…" Katara murmured, a finger reaching up to where her face was swaddled with a soft gauze, right over her eyes.

"It's not pretty," Toph grumbled. "And that's coming from me. I can't see it, but I felt…" She trailed off. "Eh, yeah. She has her eyes, but there's no coming back from this."

"The healers couldn't get to her in time," Yue frowned. "She got separated, wanting to fight and help, but we couldn't find her after. By the time we found her in the gardens...well."

Guilt clawed at Katara, and she knew from Toph's face that she felt it too. However, she reminded herself they were with the Avatar. For the sake of the world, he was more important to protect. Plus, what they'd found - the journal that now with Shoji, stored in a pillowcase. Shoji didn't need to be told to protect that with his life.

"Prince Zuko came by while you were sleeping," Toph said to Katara, and from the way she used his name and his title, and not a nickname, Katara knew how serious it all was. "We, ah, all talked. Eva is going to drop out of the competition."

"What?" Katara asked. Her injury was grave, yes, but Katara could tell she was not near death.

"I don't want to leave," Eva said. "I want to stay. But I just...I have to live with this the rest of my life. I need to learn how to continue on with my life," she said. "I mean, I can't do anything without sight!"

"He brought me in and asked me if she could learn here. He didn't want her to go, not unless it was the only option." Toph must have picked up on Katara's sadness. "I was born with no sight. Eva wasn't. It's going to be harder for her. I've never had to use sight, so I don't know what I'm missing, ya know?"

"Yeah, I just…"

"Can I have a second alone with Katara?" Eva asked Yue and Toph. Once alone, Eva smiled at Katara.

"Oh, Kat," she said. Katara felt tears bubbling up at the nickname, such an intimate thing. She realized how much she considered Eva a friend - one of her best friend here - and to see her go was horrible. She never had best friends before, especially not ones who were girls, so it seemed cruel to take her away now.

"You will get on top of this," Katara said, grabbing both of Eva's hands. "You are so much stronger than you know."

"I'm afraid. I'm really afraid," Eva admitted. "The North isn't exactly a blind-friendly place."

"Hey, once you master it there, you can go anywhere," Katara pointed out. "And...one day, I'd really love it if you came down to the South. Or, I'll come to you," she promised.

"Yes, I'd really like that. And you can teach me waterbending. How to fight. Properly." She gave a wry smile.

"The Eva I first met would have never wanted to learn after this," Katara commented with surprise.

"I know," Eva agreed. "Maybe you inspired me. Maybe I just grew up while I was here. I don't know."

"I promise to write-" Katara began, then immediately felt ashamed.

Eva just laughed. "You can write. I'll find someone to take pity on me and write you back. Maybe a cute boy. Seemed to work out before, at least one way."

Katara frowned. "What do you mean?"

Eva made a noise. "Oh, nothing. Another friend. Forgot you wouldn't know."

Katara chuckled. "If you're not getting the Prince, you'd better get a cute boy. You'd better be a goddamn legend when you return."

Eva grinned widely, holding up her hands in a 'who knows' motion. "One can only hope!"

THEPRINCESCHOICE

Katara managed to catch Zuko once in the chaos. She had Shoji bring her bag of items, now actually moved into a bag, and drew Zuko, just for second, into a secluded hall.

"I only have a second," Zuko warned, warm and teasing, going immediately to kiss her. While Katara wanted to ignore the pressing problems and devour him right now, she bit back her own desires to stand a foot away from him.

"I only need a second," Katara said stonily, and Zuko's smile dropped off his face. Katara had been clutching the journal across her chest, and she unfurled it on the backsides of her arms, holding it out to him. "When you get a chance, any free time...read this. But, only in secret. Do not let anyone else see it, especially not your father, for Tui's sake. Hold it up to fire to read it right."

"Katara...what is this? Where did you get it?" Zuko took it gingerly. Sokka still had the powder. He'd wrapped it about a thousand times in blankets and scraps of other things, and she knew he had it in his pocket. The best plan they came up with was to tie the parcel to a rock, go out on a boat, and sink it to the bottom of the ocean. Of course, easier said than done. Still, they didn't know any other way to dispose of it safely. As far as they'd found, in that room, the powder that Sokka had was the only portion of it left. After Zuko read this, their next plan was to burn this journal until it was only soot.

"I'll explain when we have a long time to talk," Katara assured. "Just...believe me on this. Promise me that you'll read it, and promise me that you won't let anyone else see it."

Zuko nodded immediately. "I trust you. I will guard it."

"With your life," Katara said gravely. Zuko squinted at her.

"What is in this journal, Katara?" he asked, mystified.

Katara closed her eyes, recalling the words that flashed across the page, burned and carved deeply into her mind. "Something that will change everything."

THEPRINCESCHOICE

The next few days went the same as the last: a lot of healing. Katara didn't have time to worry about how Aang was doing after unintentionally invoking his Avatar state, how Ty Lee was handling the changes, or what any of the rest of the girls were up to. She didn't have time to worry about the way Ozai had looked at her, about Azula's calculating eyes, or about the ramifications of kissing Zuko in front of the people. She didn't have time to think about what she and Zuko needed to discuss. She hardly got a chance to talk to her friends and fellow competitors. A lot of them came through to be healed, most of their wounds non-threatening and just a nuisance. Some were worse than others; Nadhari's hand had been crushed when she tried to earthbend to protect some of the group, Suki's leg was mangled and could be healed, but she'd need crutches for a while. Every other girl had at least a scratch or a scar somewhere.

Saya, who had broken her wrist when someone stepped on it in the stampede to get away, wouldn't stop shaking, even after it as good as new. From Suki, Katara heard that Saya had been in a state of shock for the first day, and she hadn't gotten much better since. In fact, nothing seemed to calm Saya.

"I didn't sign up for this," she had mumbled once, almost in a trance-like state, when Katara was healing her wrist.

"Huh?" Katara asked, catching it a moment later, but Saya didn't speak again.

So, when Saya asked Zuko to withdraw her name, Katara was hardly surprised. Saya had always been gentle and a little mousey, so this event totally seemed to break her. To leave out of fear was not something anyone made fun of her for; Katara, frankly, was surprised more didn't leave. She was right...she didn't sign up for this. None of the girls did. Sure, the Fire Lady would have to be put in tough spots at times, but as far as Katara knew, Ursa had never seen combat.

So, Saya leaving was only met with well-wishes before the palace returned to attempting to right itself, an undertaking that had only just begun.

THEPRINCESCHOICE

"Katara, you look exhausted!" It was the first time Aiga had seen her in three days. Now, especially since the full moon had passed, Katara truly was.

"Yeah, I was going to use this time to sleep," Katara agreed. However, they'd all been called into the arena, one of the few places that wasn't ravaged in the attack. It was just the Ladies, their handmaids, and the Prince's Choice staff members. Ozai had called the meeting, something that Katara did not like one bit.

"I'm sure Yugoda would insist if I told her you needed sleep and a hot meal," Aiga said, always mothering. She was more nurturing than Katara.

"Mhh, maybe," Katara sighed. "I just want this meeting to be over and it hasn't even begun."

Ozai took the front area, down in the pit. Zuko appeared behind him, along with the rest of the Royal Family filing into a 'V' shape behind him. Aang was not there, and Zuko looked a little uncomfortable. Katara wondered if he'd had time to read the journal, or, where it was currently? Was it tucked into his breastplate, between his heart and his shirt? Was it locked in a chest of drawers? Was it burned on a pyre?

"Ladies," Ozai started, "I want to firstly apologize for this horrible event. We never meant to endanger any of you, but sometimes things happen. However, that is not an excuse. We are so terribly sorry that all of you had to experience that." He seemed sincere, Katara thought with a snort. Good acting?

"However, it has brought something up to discuss. I've thought long and hard about how to handle this new political development, and this is the only option. Many of you fought willingly to protect yourselves and your fellow palace patrons, an act that I am very proud of, and I'm sure others would agree. We are living in dangerous times, dangerous indeed. We, of course, will do everything we can to make sure that an event like this does not occur at the palace again. However…" There was a pregnant pause. "I cannot outright promise that with absolute certainty, nor that you might not be attacked out and about in the city, where we have less control. To make all of you stay inside like caged birds would do no one good. Truth of the matter is, the Fire Lady, in this day and age, needs to be able to protect herself."

Katara tried not to grimace. His words actually were logical, which pissed her off to no end. She tried to read Zuko, to see if he knew what was coming. As far as she could tell, he didn't.

"Therefore," Ozai continued, "It has been decided by the Fire Sages who oversee the Prince's Choice regulations that - because unusual, circumstances demand it - a mid-season change to the requirements for contestants is necessary. Any lady participating in the Prince's Choice must be able to defend herself, whether with bending or otherwise."

This sent up a twitter of whispers, some more horrified than others. Zuko stiffened, as though trying not to whip his head in question toward his father. He was clearly just as blindsided. Ozai raised a hand, firmly, silently.

"We are fair, of course," he added with a wry smile. "We are going to let you prove your skills to remain here. Once the Palace is back on its feet, in say...a month, we'll commence with a series of sparring matches to prove your place. You must only prove your worth to your opponent," he said.

"Are we expected to fight each other to remain here?" Suki called out, looking disgusted and offended. Katara nodded in agreement that this seemed barbaric and cruel. How could she fight against Suki? Or Toph? Yue? Especially when the stakes were like this.

"No, my dear girl." Ozai blinked. "Don't be silly. You won't be fighting your friends, you'll be fighting against a member of the Royal Family."

THEPRINCESCHOICE

Katara's head would spin for days trying to figure out Ozai and his plans, she decided. After the bedlam that ensued after that little announcement, Ozai explained that each girl would 'randomly' have to spar against either himself, Zuko, Azula, Lu Ten, Iroh, or Kuzon. Katara noticed how Kuzon was added into the lineup, but Ursa was not. That was only the beginning of her thoughts on the matter.

She would have thought that Ozai would prefer a subservient non-fighter for the new Fire Lady, someone easier to manipulate, but maybe he realized the tides were against that type of Fire Lady, in light of this attack. The Nation would be looking for a stronge figure, someone who was a fighter, someone who would protect their future land. So, he adapted. Or, maybe he's been looking for warriors to add to his unholy army this whole time?

Or, or - Katara did not want to think about this, but forced herself to, after Sokka had brought up her own fears during the attack - it was a chance to kill Katara in a way that few argue wasn't an accident. If she could not defend herself, if something went wrong, if she...well, Ozai could very well just be looking for ways to get rid of her. To be honest, he could get rid of her at any time. She realized her place in the palace, as a contestant but also even as a person, was even more dangerous. A growing prickle rose up on the nape of her neck that she could no longer ignore.

And this feeling, this gut instinct that she was going to die in here if she stayed any longer, did not leave her.

So, Katara had done a lot of introspection into her own place in the palace of late.

It was not until the night after the announcement that Zuko and Katara managed to find time to talk, beneath the light of the moon in the storage area.

"Is this true?" Zuko threw the journal on a table.

"I believe it," Katara nodded.

Zuko sat, head between his knees and his fingers knotting in his black hair. "Agni, I know it is," he added wearily.

"If that's what Sozin would do-"

"Yeah." Zuko cut her off abruptly. "And Aang, that whole fiasco," he added. He hardly needed to say more. Katara knew he was talking about Aang going into the Avatar state.

"You know?"

"I mean," Zuko looked up at her, frowning, " Aang might not really be related to me, but I still care about him. He's basically my younger brother after all these years. Of course he told me," he said. "I knew something was up. Spirits," he added with a low whistle. He threw out a hand. "And lastly, this stupid sparring competition!" He kicked the ground in anger, and sparks flew up under his heel.

"Ozai can manipulate the outcome to be whatever he wants," Katara agreed, solemnly. She dreaded her next words. They clung to her throat like honey and when she opened her lips, they refused to leave, as though they had sentience. She tried not to cry as she forced them from her lips. "I think you need to end the competition. You need to take power and stop this before something really awful happens. Before another whole race is wiped out."

"I was thinking the same thing," Zuko agreed. Katara couldn't breathe. She didn't know who his top choice was. She didn't want to ask. "Katara…marry me." He wasn't down on a knee, there was no grand declaration, there was just his outstretched palm, presenting her with something. She saw something familiar glimmer in the light. It was her betrothal necklace. A gasp caught in her throat. "I hadn't...I went looking for you first and found your room torn apart. I really thought you were dead. I saw this on the ground and picked it up, thinking that if anything, I could keep this to remember you. And, Agni, I didn't want it to go like this. I wanted to carve you a really nice necklace and all, but circumstance has forced my hand. I've always wanted you, it's not like this is a split choice. Giving this back to you will have to do, a token, until I make you a better one. So, please," he asked, " _Please_."

Katara did not take the necklace. "I can't."

"Katara," Zuko began. "Look, I knew you'd say that. Whatever it is, we can-"

"Fix it? I don't think it can be fixed!" Katara threw out in a hushed, angry whisper. "Your father is a maniac who could kill me anyway. I'm not safe here anymore, I have never been, I've just been ignoring it! Making me Fire Lady would only infuriate him, you know that! If he retaliated against my tribe, I could  _never_  forgive myself! Even if we prepared, even if we warned my father...the Fire Nation army outnumbers us 100 to one in fighters. And, let's say you control the army. If there's even a group of 100 soldiers who are loyal to your father, they could wipe out the Southern Water Tribe too, just like they did the airbenders. I will not be the last of my people, Zuko, I will not," Katara snarled, trying hard to keep back tears, imagining the pain that Aang was going through right now. "And maybe...maybe I shouldn't even be here. Maybe I should be with Aang, because his position here just became a lot more dangerous, too. If we have to flee, I can flee. I can go and keep him safe. He still has two whole elements to master, and it's become so much harder to do it in secret! I could teach him waterbending. I'm sure we can find an Earth Master somewhere. Zuko, if Aang is killed...this war is never going to end. The Fire Nation will never end, don't you see?"

Katara paced back in forth, her body wracked with silent sobs as she let out all the emotions that had been plaguing her for the past three days. "Or, maybe I should be tracking down the Equalists, making them pay for what they did to Eva, to all these other innocents! They killed six guests, ten guards, and two handmaids! Maybe I should do that so you can be safe here too, since you're who they're after. Maybe I should...maybe…" She caught her breath. "You have to marry someone else, Zuko. You have to take the power while you can, before Ozai decides to make Azula heir, since he already convinced the Fire Sages to change a whole part of the competition mid-way through. A girl who he won't kill. Suki...or Yue. Anyone, even Nadhari," Katara pressed.

"No," Zuko said, teeth gritted. "Don't you care for me?"

Katara, unable to lie, just bit the inside of her cheek. The words still slipped out. "More than anything," she admitted. She wanted to lie. She wanted to tell him she never cared. That it was all a game. That she was bored. That she found him ugly. Anything to convince him to do what he needed to do.

"Then," Zuko said, gathering up his stubborn will, "It's not a question. I'm not going to marry anyone. I don't want anyone else. It's only you, Katara."

"Don't be stupid!" Katara hissed lowly. "I'm not worth it. Your life isn't worth that."

Zuko leaned back, scowling. "That's for me to say, isn't it?"

Katara, close to tears from the frustration and the intensity of her anger, her love, her fear, just stared him down. She felt her heart tear in two different directions as she steeled herself, inhaling hard. "I guess...I guess that leaves us at an impasse," she said. Zuko matched her raised chin.

"Yes, it does." Then, quieter, "Are you really going to leave?"

Katara pressed her forehead against the cool wall of the storage area, catching her breath. She sniffed, wiping across her eyes quickly. "No. I won't," she said quietly. "Not right now, anyway."

Zuko didn't answer. Katara turned to him, biting the inside of her cheek.

"I…" she started, looking at the ground. "I don't think I could leave, even though I know I should," she whispered in the softest, scarcest whisper.

Zuko's eyes lit up, just for a moment, despite the stony look on his face. She let him embrace her, but her mid still buzzed in three million directions at once.

After it all, after Ozai, the attack, the journals...what scared her most of all, was the stark truth of her words. Katara - realizing the undeniable fact that this was the worst time in history - was deeply, hopelessly, stupidly in love.

_END OF BOOK ONE_

_(Notes here because I it's too long for the endnotes XD)_

**Hot holy damn ya'll.**

**We're finished with the first book.**

**I have a couple notes on things on this chapter, I implore you to read all of the A/Ns at the end here. It's a lot, I know, but I promise you it's all important stuff (and, I don't want to have to be repeating the same answers to questions of reviewers)**

**So, first off, just some stuff while writing this**

**GENERAL COMMENTS/MY THOUGHTS**

***There were def three movie/TV throwbacks that happened to work their way into it while I was writing. The first being 'National Treasure' when Shoji lights up the catacombs, the second being the catacombs itself feeling very strangely Game of Thrones-esque, and the third...well, it sort of mirrors a scene from a movie that came out recently, about a couple that a lot of people feel mimics Zutara. Kudos if anyone can figure it out ;) I didn't do it intentionally, not until I was looking back on this chapter to edit it haha**

***Toph licking bones is a thing that archeologists do. Bones, since they have such a low density, will actually stick to your** **tongue** **if you lick them. Of course, it's harder to do with a gigantic dragon skull, but still XD**

***I def feel like Aang, as the Avatar, would have more access to his past lives. I guess it's cool in the original series how spiritual it all is, but I feel like a kid that's actually reincarnated would have some major head-space issues going on, which is why I decided to have 'Roku' sort of take him over...because you know, Aang WAS Roku.**

***Things got a little dark here...but that's the vibe the whole book has been, or going to. This is an older cast with darker problems. It's pretty indicative that things are going to continue to be this dark, or get darker (likely the latter), but that's not to say we won't still have fun moments!**

***The eradication of the Air Nomads and the testing was absolutely supposed to mimic the horrors of the Holocaust and specifically Dr. Mengele, because I really got that sort of undercut vibe from the original series, I just amped it up here. I also got that idea when I decided I wanted to explore a less obvious form of warfare against the Nomads.**

***That last scene with Zuko and Katara, oh, the angst. If you like reading things outloud dramatically, Katara's end monologue is a ton of fun and pain to read. I've def thought about making a sound clip of myself reading how I think it would go and uploading it. What do you think? XD Yes? No? There's a lot of poetic cinema to the ending here, which I totally intended and I hope you all appreciate lol.**

**REVIEWS:**

**-A NOTE TO LURKERS:**

**So, I always do a thing when I finish a fanfiction. I implore the lurkers to review. What's a lurker, you might ask?** **Those people that read faithfully, have this story favorited or alerted, but never once have left a review. Leave a review here, now. Why? Firstly, this is the last chapter, and don't you want to tell me what you thought, if not of just this, but the whole story? (true, there's a sequel, but let's say I die horribly before I can't upload it. Don't you want me to know what you thought about this) Secondly, I do deserve it- I've written 30 chapters of these guys and a shit ton amount of words- 206,000 give or take, and never really cared that you did or didn't review, as long as people read. Now do something for me and review it. Because, lemme me put it into perspective. This book is about 400 pages. It is longer than (almost) any Harry Potter novel, sans OoTP. It's like if you read the first two and a half HP books as one singular novel. That's really freaking long. Don't know what to review? Here's some stuff that you could...**

***Favorite OC**

***Favorite part of the whole story**

***Predictions for the upcoming books**

**Now you don't have to answer these questions. But I've heard often from people that the reason they don't review is that they don't know what to write. I'm giving you something to write, but of course feel free to write other things if your little heart so desires it.**

**To those that have always reviewed, I can't tell you how happy you all make me.**

**REVIEW DRABBLES:**

**I'll be doing the drabble reviews earned between updating books :) These are the people who have reached a drabble and have not claimed one yet, if they so wish to: Deannabear, Hris. Onnediel, Kawaii25, KnightOwl (2nd one), LlovableLlamas, myottodog, mystic-hysteric, tiernank, and Who!**

**If you review and reach your 10th drabble after I post this, and you have a PM, i'll let you know as you reach it. If you're a guest reviewer, I'll update it with the first chapter. I will keep the totals for how much you review, so they'll carry over to the next series so you lovelies don't have to start from square one ;)**

**BOOK TWO:**

**The second book is called 'The Warrior's Gambit'. Right after I upload this, I will be going and uploading the new book with the prologue.**

**HOWEVER, so that I can get ahead on reviews and continue to update weekly, plus just to work out the kinks and make the second book more kickass than the first, I will be taking AT LEAST TWO MONTHS OFF in order to get it underway. I'm also staring up my last semester of undergrad this Wed, so I'm sure I'll be busy and two months lands me in the middle of my semester, so we'll see. I'm hopeful I can manage to get that out, but honestly guys...I need a cooling down period or whatever I update will be crap XD**

**If you want to keep updated, obv alert/follow the new book, so you'll get told when I do update. Second, follow me on my tumblr 'youngbloodlex22' where I'll be posting more info as I decide it. You can also follow me there to see art for this story, including the new cover as well as a picture of what I drew all the OCs to look like :)**

**So, be on the lookout for those drabbles to tide you over.**

**If you need more Zutara, tho, I've turned the college!AU shorts into a story...ish. It's called 'Everclear, Frat Houses, and Other College Adventures' and will be updated sporatically. If you have a 'college Adventure' you'd like to see anyone from the Avatar universe go on (it's main couple Zutara, but meant to be for all characters too) lemme know and I might just write it ;)**

**It has been great, you all! I'm looking forward to an even better second book. Please, oh pretty please, remember to review!**

**Author's Note:**

> If you're totally confused about the world, you might not have read the A/N before the story, so maybe read that :)
> 
> Below is a list of the 35 girls included in the selection (Some canon, a lot not) plus current ages so everyone knows and such. I'll add description and nation plus bender if we already know from the show. I'll keep this updated with info, as well as who's been eliminated so that ya'll can keep track. On here, it's alphabetized because my version is the listed version of who leaves when and who stays!
> 
> FN-Fire Nation, EK- Earth Kingdom, SWT-Southern Water Tribe, and NWT- Northern Water Tribe
> 
> THE GIRLS:
> 
> 1) Alcina- Long black hair, violet eyes, pale skin. Twin with Dhakiya. FN. 19
> 
> 2) Anaselma- Brown hair, green eyes, freckled. EK. 16
> 
> 3) Andica- ginger hair, blue eyes, olive skin. EK. From Kyoshi warrior. 18
> 
> 4) Avizeh- Brown hair, olive skin, hazel eyes. FN. 21
> 
> 5) Azama- brown hair, brown eyes, reddish-brown skin. EK. 20
> 
> 6) Bahiravi- black hair, light brown eyes, freckles, short. FN. 19
> 
> 7) Besu- Nickname, Smellerbee. 16. EK
> 
> 8) Caecillia- Red hair, lighter skin, brownish-yellowish eyes. FN. Very distantly related to the Royal Family. 17
> 
> 9) Cui- Black hair, brown eyes. Birthmark on the face. FN. 18
> 
> 10) Dhakiya- black hair, hazel eyes, pale skin. Twin with Alcina. FN. 19
> 
> 11) Evdokija- black hair, blue eyes, lighter than usual WT skin. NWT. 18
> 
> 12) Fidelia- dirty blonde hair (more brownish), two different colored eyes, freckles. EK. 21
> 
> 13) Ishwa- short brown hair, brown eyes, brown skin. Tomboy in appearance. EK. 22
> 
> 14) Jin-from TV show. EK. 20
> 
> 15) June- from TV show. EK. 25
> 
> 16) Katara-from TV show. SWT. 18. Waterbender
> 
> 17) Kilee- light brown hair, hazel-blue eyes, middle tanned skin. SWT. 17
> 
> 18) Liuxian- Tall, silky black hair, brown-green eyes. FN. 21
> 
> 19) Mai- from tv show. FN. 21.
> 
> 20) Maiha- long brown hair, blue eyes, darker skin. Father is SWT. Raised in FN. 22
> 
> 21) Mika- Light brown hair, hazel eyes, fair skin. FN. 19
> 
> 22) Min- ginger brown hair, red face all the time, brown eyes. FN. 23
> 
> 23) Nadhari- black hair, brown eyes, very dark skin. EK. 20
> 
> 24) On Ji-from Tv show. FN. 17
> 
> 25) Ratana- black hair, pale skin, grey eyes. FN. 22
> 
> 26) Saoise-dark hair, blue eyes, olive skin. NWT. 19
> 
> 27) Saya-short dusty brown hair, pale eyes, freckles. FN. 20
> 
> 28) Suki- from tv show. EK. Kyoshi warrior. 19
> 
> 29) Tapeesa- Dark brown hair, deep blue eyes. NWT. 19
> 
> 30) Toph-from TV show. EK. Earth and Metal bender. 16
> 
> 31) Ty Lee- from tv show. FN. 18
> 
> 32) Uzuki- ginger hair with light brown highlights, green eyes. EK. 21
> 
> 33) Yijin- black hair, brown eyes. FN. 22
> 
> 34) Yue- from tv show, still has white hair. NWT. 20
> 
> 35) Zemin- short, thin black hair down her back, hazel eyes. FN. 23
> 
> WHEW! I know that's a lot, but obv Katara won't talk to all of 'em. It's just here for your (and my) reference more than anything else :) The next time this will be uploaded is either about two weeks from now OR whenever I upload the last chapter of the story I promised myself I would finish before this. You know what would help me get it up sooner? Lots of support to show that you WANT to see what will happen next. Once I finish the other story, and if school doesn't kick my ass, I imagine I'll update (or try to) once every one or two weeks.
> 
> Feel free to ask questions you might have so far. I may or might be at liberty to give you answers :)
> 
> If you wanna see artwork or face claims I might upload for this story, go to my story/art tumblr, youngbloodlex22!


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